Just Bend It
by S.L.Cipher
Summary: [Bend it Like Beckham] Sometimes, off the field, life isn’t as easy as it should be, and during those trying times of the “heart” and “spirit”, you wake up and realize something. You’ve just got to get over it and just bend it!
1. Home Welcoming's and Hickeys

Disclaimer: Nope I don't own Bend it Like Beckham nor do I own David Beckham if I had either of them some things ... would turn out just a little differently.

Author's Notes: Yes I know they are British, but since I am pretty sure I can't pull off a British vocabulary well, I just won't... sorry.

Summary: Sometimes, off the field life isn't as easy as it should be, and during those trying times of the "heart" and "spirit", you wake up and realize something. You've just got to get over it and just bend it!

Just Bend It

Chapter One: Home Welcoming's and Hickeys

Jessminder Bhamra, aka Jess, sat on top of "her" washing machine in Santa Clara's dorm. Next to her, on top of another washing machine was her fellow soccer teammate and best friend Juliette Paxton, aka Jules. Both females sat comfortably on top of their respective machines in sport bras and pajama pants with water bottles near by.

"Got a four?"Jules said peaking one eye from the top of her cards. Jess stuck her tongue out at the girl and handed her a four. Jules smiled and put down her pair of fours. "Got a queen?"

Now it was Jess' turn to smile. "Nope!" Jules and Jess had been attending Saint Clara for three years so far, now both woman were twenty-one and no longer eighteen. Their soccer team was the top ranked college team in America after the three years Jess and Jules had joined. They both gradually adjusted to the California lifestyle, but they both always went back to England on any vacation they could. "Got a thr-"_ BEEP_. Jules and Jess' washing machines went off simultaneously, the two climbed of their machines and began to load their clothes in a basket. They walked to the other side of the laundry room and dumped their clothes in a dryer, started the machine, then climbed on top it to finish their "high stakes" game of go fish.

"Got a three?" Jules threw the card at her. "How about a jack?" Another card was thrown in Jess' direction. "A six?"

"You're cheating aren't you?" Jules said as she passed Jess a six of spades, Jess gladly accepted the card and put down her pair of sixes.

"Nope just pure luck."

"Y'know I'm glad spring break is just a day away... we can go back to England... visit family... talk to friends... and you can go see Joe." Jules had a grin from ear to ear and her blue eyes held a playful sparkle in it. Jess looked at her friend then rolled her eyes.

"You have been using that trick ever since we got here, three years ago. Don't you think it's getting a little old?"

"Nope definitely not. But are you trying to tell me that you are not looking forward to seeing your secretive boyfriend?"

"It's not secretive around here since you told about how many people. "

"Oh only our team... and a few others. And it's your go." Joe and Jess continued to date each other for the last three years, however, they had failed to break the news to her parents. Although Pinky did know, after catching them kissing, and Jess got a funny feeling that her father might be catching on. While Joe really wanted to tell them, after beginning to play cricket with Jess' father, Jess would chicken out every time the decided they should. On the other hand Jess had met both Joe's mother and father... and they both loved the Indian girl to pieces. Joe always wrote her letters that said how much his parents were pestering to bring Jess over again.

"Got a ten?"

"Finally! Go fish." Jules blew a raspberry at Jess before she began to survey her cards again. "Got a five?"

"Go fish. Aren't you sad that you are going to be separated from your dear Liam, captain of the boys soccer team, Mr. Perfect all around?"

"Don't forget shaggable all around!" A wicked grin sneaked onto Jules' face.

"I don't know how you are going to stand the separation, it must be devastating. Two."

"And just when I thought you were off your winning streak."

"What can I say... other than, I'm the best!" Jess looked Jules in the eye with a 'confident' gaze.

"Some one here is a bit cocky. May be I should cool you off!"Jules dumped the water from her bottle onto Jess' head then immediately took off running when the Indian girl shrieked. Jess threw down her cards then ran after the blonde calling for retribution.

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"Jackets?"

"Uh-huh."

"Luggage?"

"Yup."

"Bags?"

"Yup. Can we go now?" Jules asked impatiently.

"I wonder how I ever put up with you."

"Because you love me!"

"Keep on dreaming, one day it might come true."Jess snickered as she slung her backpack over her shoulders and grabbed her suitcases from the tile floor. She started to head off towards the gate exit and Jules followed her lead.

"So who do you think is picking us up, your parents or mine?"

"Probably yours, my mom is probably at home cooking a full meal saying _'__Jessminder hasn't had a proper meal in months in America!'_." Jess said in a very exact imitation of her mother from the accent, to the tone, to the hand expression, and the face expressions. To others it would be a little eerie but to Jules and Jess, it was pure comedy.

"That definitely leaves mine, knowing my mother she'll have the 'perfect' family dinner set up at home waiting... Waiting to grill me on Liam."

Jess looked up at the taller girl with a look of feigned innocence. "Yeah, maybe I should let a few hints drop here and there.. Y'know just to help the process along and all."

Jules stopped walking and stared at Jess with blues opened wide and jaw nearing the floor. "You wouldn't!"

Jess stopped and tapped her chin with a finger, looking deep in thought. "I don't know... maybe... she might reward me with a few cookies. Like the ones she sent you last time and you didn't let me have any."

"I did so give you some, you nearly ate of the whole package! I am still wondering where your hiding it!" Jules was nearing the point of hysterics and people were beginning to stare at the poor misguided blonde.

"Joking Jules, calm down. I wouldn't tell your mom about your dear Liam, unless you asked me to."

Jules became relaxed immediately and sighed in relief. Before she realized what, or rather who, put her through the stress she had experienced. "That. Was. Not. Funny." She stormed pass the now laughing Jess.

Jess stopped laughing once she saw that Jules was far past her down the hallway. "Hey, wait up!" Jess jogged to catch up Jules and matched her long strides with her own shorter ones. "Don't tell me you're going to be sore about that little joke are you."

Jules smirked at Jess. "Nope, but I won't be so sure when we see Joe though."

_'__Uh-oh.'_

The two females looked around the lobby they had just reached for the pair of an exuberant blonde haired woman and a relaxed silver haired man, but instead their eyes found a caramel brown hair of a man.

_'__Joe!' _Jess thought in shock as she stared at the gray eyed man calmly sitting in one of the waiting chairs.

"Hmmm, speaking of the devil. Aren't you going to greet lover boy, Jess?" Jules received no answer from the suddenly mute Jess, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. "Hey, Joe!" She shouted from across the room.

Joe looked around the airport confused until he found the source of the call, smiling he got up from the chair and jogged over to the duo. He situated himself in front of the amused Jules and the shocked Jess. Shocked was only putting it mildly though.

"Hey Jules." Jules gave him a short wave. "Hello Jess." Jess stared at him with vacant dark honey eyes. "Jess?" Joe waved a hand by her glazed over eyes.

Jess blinked. "What are you doing here?" Jules had to walk away to compose herself before she started to laugh like a madwoman in the airport, although snickers seemed to be escaping her mouth on their own accord. Joe simply rolled his eyes and suppressed a sigh.

"And hello to you too, Miss. Bhamra." Silver eyes stared at Jess in mixture of half amusement, a quarter of patience, and a quarter of annoyance.

_'__Annoyance?... oops.' _After thinking for a few moments, Jess finally realized why Joe was slightly annoyed... she really was a horrible girlfriend at times. She put her palms on his black leather jacket. "Sorry I didn't mean it like, what it sounded like... at least what it sounded like to you, that is."

_'__Only how many seconds back in good old England and you're already a bumbling fool while trying to talk to your boyfriend, didn't take you very long, eh?' _Jess though sarcastically.

Keeping eye contact with Jess, Joe took one of her olive toned hand from its resting place on his jacket and kissed it as he massaged it. "Now would be the appropriate time to put together a complex sentence, love."

Jess snatched her hand out of his and gave him a slight push on his shoulders. "What I meant was, that I am shocked to see you picking up Jules and I. We were expecting her parents to come pick us up."

Joe shook his head. "Nah, your parents were going to pick you two up and your father and I had just finished playing cricket when your mother told him it was time to pick you up. She said she couldn't come because she was sure that you haven't had–"

"A proper meal in months." Jess finished off the sentence for him.

"Yup. So I volunteered to come and pick you two up."

"How sweet of you. But I know you're just trying to get on my parents' good side, aren't you?"

Joe pulled Jess towards him wrapping his arms around her shoulders as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Yes, but I had other motives. Such as seeing you first." He moved his face closer to Jess' face.

"Really." Jess pulled back slightly. "And here I thought you were just trying to make sure when they find out about us, that they would remember all the good things you did and let you go with a few limbs missing instead of committing complete homicide on you."

Joe moved closer to Jess once more until their noses were touching. "We wouldn't have to worry about that." He moved closer and now Jess could almost feel his words against her mouth. "If we just told them, right away." Joe saw that a comment was about to roll off of Jess' sharp tongue and decided to capture her mouth, tongue included, in order to stop it from escaping. He only wanting to spare others from hearing her brutal tongue lashing, a noble cause of course, no ulterior motives at all... _right_...

Jess' mouth was quivering against Joe's assault over her mouth, she could feel him tugging her closer and closer to him. There bodies were molding together, Jess was slowly floating into her own abyss, and then...

... he stopped.

And Jess was flabbergasted with her mouth on fire from Joe's evil and purely selfish act and her waist no longer had the warmth of Joe's arms around them. Jess frowned. Joe saw her frown, smiling pecked her on the nose.

"I have to get you two home, don't want your parents going batty because their daughters are missing now don't we." Joe used one hand to grasp Jess' cheek and move up and to say 'yes'. "Good then, let's go. Ready Jules?"

"Uh-huh." Jules said from the 'sidelines'.

"Okay then." Joe gave Jess' hip one gentle squeeze before he started to lead them towards his car. "Let's get going." Jules picked up her bag and followed Joe. Jess stood frozen still frowning at the spot Joe had once occupied.

_'__That was so... evil...'_

Joe turned around once he saw that Jess wasn't following. "Jess aren't you going to follow?" Jess watched as a pink tongue darted from inside of his mouth and followed its trail across his soft lips.

_'__Cruel and evil...' _Jess, at a slow and steady pace, picked her bags and trudged behind Jules and Joe, on the journey to Joe's car.

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"Bye Jules!" Jess called out. Jules grabbed her bags out of Joe's car before she walked over to the passenger side window.

"Bye Jess, bye Joe."

"See ya Jules."

"I'll see you tomorrow right Jess?"

"Yeah, I'll meet you at the park around seven."

"Okay, see you then. Now you two don't do anything that I wouldn't do." She wagged a finger at Jess and Joe. Jess had to fight hard to keep her face from heating up and turning a shade pink while Joe rolled his light gray eyes.

"That doesn't leave a lot of room, now does it, Jules?" Joe asked.

Jules waved. "Bye-bye tiger!" She picked up her bags and basically bounced off towards her house. After seeing she was safely inside, Joe started to drive off towards Jess' house.

The car was completely silent. Joe concentrating on driving and Jess staring out her side window at the colors being thrown against the sky as the sun disappeared into the horizon.

"So..." Joe started.

Jess brought her attention away from the sky to look at Joe's profile. His full gentle mouth ever so slightly parted, white teeth peeking out from the inside. Long dark thick lashes, that most girls Jess knew would kill for, fluttered slightly as he stared ahead at the road. Pale gray eyes completed the dirty blonde's perfection. "So?"

"So...I beginning to get tempted and pull up to the side of the road and do exactly what Jules wouldn't do."

The small tension from the silence dispersed. "Really?" Jess raised one black eyebrow over a dark eye.

Joe took his off the road for a moment to look Jess in the eyes. "Yes, very tempted."

"_Sure_ you are."

"You don't believe me?"

Jess shook her head 'no', even though he probably couldn't see the action. "Nope. I don't, that would be too risque for you, Joe Richards."

"Really?"

"Yup, you wouldn't take the chance knowing the police could pull over at any moment, find us, and we would both end up in trouble.

"Really, you think so?"

"Really."

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Jess had come to terms that Joe Richards, her boyfriend, was risque enough to pull over to the side of a road and make-out with his girlfriend for a good twenty-minutes not caring that police could pull over, find them, and get them both in trouble. Jess never imagined herself as a teen to be a girl making-out in her boyfriend's car, only a few blocks away from her parents house, she never even gave it a second thought. So why at the age of twenty-one was she doing said activity... Jess didn't quite know why but she was... and she did enjoy it.

A lot.

"I can't believe you." Jess said as she tried to fixed her disheveled look that she knew would scream throughly kissed to her family if she stepped into her house as she looked. Her was falling out of its customary high pony-tail, her lips were redder than usually and definitely swollen. Her button down shirt was wrinkled, the collar was out of shape, and as she inspected her neck she could swear she could see red marks forming on the skin.

"You have said that about a millions times in the last five minutes." Joe pulled up to the curb and parked his car. His appearance was no better than Jess' with his hair mussed more than usually and his normally neat clothes very wild.

"I think I have a hickey!"

Joe smirked. "Consider it a love bite, love."

"I can't believe you did that!"

"You didn't seem to mind so much a the time."

"Joe!"

_Sigh. _"Not done reminiscing yet? If you want we can relive it right now and right here."

"In front of my parents house! Thanks, but no thanks Joe but I do intend on attending Santa Clara's in next few weeks."

"You shouldn't be complaining about a hickey I have your lip gloss all over me." Joe complained.

"_You didn't seem to mind so much at the time_." Jess said, throwing Joe's own words back at him. Joe leaned over and kissed her flush on the lips without pretense or warning.

"No I didn't. But may I just suggest something?"

"What?"

Joe licked his lips. "I think you should go back to your strawberry flavored lip gloss, it tastes much better than..." Joe paused before he kissed Jess once more and Jess followed his tongue as her licked his lips again. "... cherry flavor. I'm not much of a cherry fan." Joe popped the lock to the trunk open and exited the car to get Jess' bags.

Being left alone in the car, Jess shook her head as she finished tidying her appearance before she went to get her backpack from the back of the car.

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There were many hugs and kisses as Jess got passed around from her mother, to her father, to Pinky, to Teetu, and even two year old Megana Ghana, Teetu's and Pinky's daughter, joined in. No one noticed seemed to notice Joe's or Jess' unkempt appearances, with the exception of Pinky, now a very happy and content housewife. Jess just knew from the look of curiosity and glee in her older sister's eyes, that she would be pumped for information later... now she finally understood what Jules was going through early that morning.

The family along with Joe, who was invited to stay by Mr. Bhamra, sat done around the dining table and eat dinner until their bellies were full. Jess told everyone about California over desert after she cleared the table. Later on Jess made her discrete good-bye to Joe and headed up to her room. Looking around the room walls covered by the_ 'skin-headed man' _David Beckham, Jess was hit by sudden nostalgia.

She had just picked up a soccer ball in the corner and began to dribble it back and forth on the floor between her feet when Pinky walked into the room in a flurry of chaos of words and hand movements.

Pinky straightaway studied Jess' facial expression. "So Jess, how is your little _goreh_ doing?"

Jess rolled her eyes, so the information pumping chronicles have begun! "He's fine."

"I'm guessing the reason you two were late wasn't because of the 'traffic' you guys experienced coming here, eh?" Pinky's eyes remained glued to Jess' face.

Remaining aloof, Jess danced around her sister's question. "Really, you don't say?"

"Yea, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were making out."

"Really?" Jess' eyes opened wide in false shock. "You don't say."

"Yea, and there were some lip gloss stains around Joe's neck and disappeared down into his shirt. Now, you wouldn't know anything about that now, would you?"

"Hmm." Jess shrugged her shoulders impassively.

"Both of your clothes looked a bit off you know."

"Uh-huh?"

"Yea."

Jess knew her older sister was trying to get a rise out her, but Jess wasn't going to let her succeed like she had in the past. "Hmmm, interesting."

"Well, I'll be leaving now." Pinky turned to leave.

"Bye Pinks."

Pinky stopped at the door. "Oh and by the way..."

"Yea?"

"...Your _goreh_ sure does leave some clear love bites. You better watch out... it looks like you have a mighty big hickey by your collarbone."Pinks smiled in satisfaction as Jess nearly shrieked bloody murder and her hands immediately found their way to her collar. "Bye now." Pinky left the room in a confidence driven swagger and Jess flew to her mirror to inspect what damage was done to her collar by Joe.

Pinky was right... she did have a hickey...

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That's it for this chapter. Reviews? Praise? Critique? Praise the shiny button on the bottom.


	2. Unexpected Occurrences

Disclaimer: Nope I still don't own Bend it Like Beckham, maybe if I beg a little Gurinder Chadha might take pity on me and give me a little secondary prize... like Joe...

Author's Note: Thank you so much Becca for that kind review, my first review too! I could almost cry myself into oblivion... except I won't for I must be strong and produce more chapter's for Just Bend It. May the force be with me!... Er... sorry wrong movie. 

P.S.: Becca, at heart we are all grammar whores.

Summary: Sometimes, off the field life isn't as easy as it should be, and during those trying times of the "heart" and "spirit", you wake up and realize something. You've just got to get over it and just bend it!

Just Bend It

  


Chapter Two: Unexpected Occurrences

Jess ran down the staircase and was about to fly out the door when she collided into her father's back.

"Sorry about that dad." Jess apologized while sweeping the loose strands of hair out her face. Anupam Bhamra looked down his daughter with an unspoken question in his dark eyes. "I'm going to the park for a run with Jules. I've got to keep in shape y'know."

Anupam's eyes shifted towards his daughter's collar and Jess scrambled to pull up the zipper of her sweat shirt. "You have been here less than twenty-four hours and you are already ready to run off again Jess." Jess hoped that her face was relaxed and was not giving away any signs of her nervousness. Anupam shook his head and cleared the doorway to let his younger daughter pass. "Just make sure you're home by lunch, Pinky and your mother want to have a luncheon with you."Anupam waved his hands in a shooing motion. "Go ahead." 

Jess' face cracked a small smile and she stood on her tippy-toes to kiss her father on his cheek. "Thanks dad I'll see you later!" Jess shot pass him to run down the pavement on her way to the park.

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"I must say, your sister is right. That is a mighty big hickey." Jules said as she inspected the "medal" of honor gracing Jess' collarbone. Jules and Jess were in the same park where she, Jules, first saw Jess playing soccer.

"Yea, I know. When I get my hands on Joe, I swear. What if my father had noticed it? Or better yet, my mother! She barely likes me playing soccer, if she saw a hickey who knows what she would do. Mind you she is very good with a kitchen knife!"

Jules out right laughed at Jess and all Jess could do was glare at her, even though it had no affect on the English woman at all. After five minutes of straight laughter on her part, Jules sobered up."Maybe you should come out and just tell your parents about Joe and you. They might not react all that bad to it." 

Jess stopped her cooling down exercise to look at the blonde, just to make sure she was talking to the real Juliette Evelyn Paxton, she had learned her middle name from Mrs. Paxton. "We are talking about the same Bhamra family, right? Because quite frankly I think you have them confused with some other family." Jess got up from the ground and started to wipe the dirt off her jogging pants and Jules joined her not even two seconds later, dumping some water on her short hair.

Jules shook the water out her hair in a way that reminder Jess of her neighbor's dog when he dried himself after he was washed. The dog always got the water off of himself, but never spared those around him the pleasure of getting wet. "You'll never know until you give it a try. Try telling your father first, he seems a bit more reasonable and from there you two can take on your mother."

_Sigh_. "It's not that simple Jules, and you know it. While Joe is a wonderful guy with a great personality, he lacks in one major department."

Jules raised an eyebrow."And that would be?"

Another sigh escaped Jess' mouth."He's not Indian."

"Oh, yeah." Jess nodded her head slowly as if to affirm her friends revelation.

"Hey is that you Jess?" A voice called out from across the park. That tenor voice could only belong to one person in Jess' mind it was...

"Tony." Jess turned around to greet her friend as he walked up to Jess and Jules. "Hey there. I thought I wasn't going to be able to see you until Monday, because someone here is busy with all their classes and studies." Tony smiled sheepishly. Jess didn't find it surprising when Tony told her that he was going to study to be a doctor, helping people had always been a calling for him ever since they were kids. Kind of like her and soccer. 

"I wasn't going to be able to until my professor cancelled classes today. Turns out that he's allergic to shrimp." Looking over Jess' shoulder's Tony spotted Jules waiting patiently. "Hey there Jules."

"Hiya Tony." Jules and Tony got along well around each other although they didn't talk to each other much. Jules even knew about his secret, her reply at the time was the same as Jess, _"But you're Indian..."_.

"So when am I going to meet you're Ameet. He is all I read about in your letters, I might as well get to see him in person while I'm here. And I better get to meet him this time, not like what happened on Christmas." Although in the last three years Tony had yet to reveal his secret to others, he did meet a nice Indian guy named Ameet a year ago and Jess had yet to meet the infamous Ameet.

"I promise you will this time Jess. I just came by to say hi." 

"Umm..."

"Your mother who found out from your father, that you went out early to run. So I came here."

"Oh."

Anyways, I should be going I've got to get to the university, I've got a class in twenty. Bye Jess, bye Jules." 

"Bye Tony." Jules and Jess said in unison, three years together had fined tuned them into the other's head and speech. It was a bit uncanny, at least to those who didn't know Jess and Jules very well 

"Oi and Jess, if I were you I would be heading home right about now."

Jess looked at Tony in wonder, she knew that her mother and sister wanted to have a luncheon with her, but what could be so urgent that she had to go home now. "Why?" 

Tony held up three fingers. "Three words: Bubbly, Taz, Marriage." 

"Another wedding!" Jess exclaimed in pure annoyance. 

"Yup, and because this one doesn't include, expect the 'Marriage Speech', even though you have a boyfriend."

"Damn."

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"I don't understand it Jessminder! At your age I was already married to your father and was about to have Pinky, for goodness sakes..." Shaheen Bhamra droned on and on as Jess poked at her Aloo Gobi, blanking in and out of her mother's speech. A speech that was more like a rant. "... When are you going to find a nice Indian boy to settle down with, eh? Bubbly already has found one..." 

"Mom." Pinky interrupted Shaheen's rant. "Give Jess a break, she is in college studying she doesn't have time for guys. I'm sure when the time is right she'll find a good one." Pinky had a way with pestering Jess about Joe one moment, then turning around and defending her from their mother's Jess-You-Better-Hurry-Up-And-Get-Married-Soon Speech-Rant'.Pinky didn't mind Joe, and on occasion he did make her laugh, whether it was at him or with him was another case. Plus Megana loved to play with him outside, Pinky just said that if he ever got her daughter into soccer she would castrate him. At times Jess took this as a personal insult, but then she got over the next moment, after all one soccer girl in the family was enough to bring _"shame" _on them all, who knew what could happen if there were two soccer girls.

"Fine, but I just want you to turn into your father's niece, Imani, she runs around in short skirts showing off her legs and is divorced for goodness sakes. He poor mother–"

"– Can't even walk into _blah blah blah or blah blah _blah anymore without the shame of her daughter following her, we know." Both Pinky and Jess finished in unison, after all years of being exposed to the same story did have that kind ofaffect on a person.

"And can you imagine this, Imani is remarried to an American red-haired blue-eyed _goreh_! Oh the shame her mother must feel." Unconsciously Jess lowered herself in her chair, hoping that if she slouched her mother wouldn't notice the dead on look of fright in her eyes. Inadvertently Pinky's eyes met Jess' from across the table, both knowing that this wasn't a good sign for Jess at all. 

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"I don't think telling my parents is going to happen anytime soon Jules. You heard her reaction to Imani marrying someone who isn't Indian, imagine what her reaction would be if I told her about Joe and I?" Jess had always gotten along with Imani, she was a free-spirited and innovative woman, who know that she was doomed to follow her footsteps into _"shame"_.

Jules laid sprawled out on Jess' bed. Jess immediately called her after her luncheon with her mother and sister and after her mother went to go grocery shopping. Jules arrived on her doorstep not even sixteen minutes later. "You can't keep it a secret forever. That just doesn't work out for you." Jules was referring to her and the Hounslow Harriers pre-Pinky's wedding.

"I know I know but–" A knock at Jess' door stopped the rest of the words from leaving Jess' mouth."Come in."

Pinky's head poked through a crack in the door. "You've got ten minutes till mom gets back and don't let her catch your guest in the room." Jess opened her mouth to say, _'Why would mom care if Jules was here?'_, when Pinky's head disappeared and Joe entered the room. Hopefully he didn't here the earlier part of her and Jules' conversation. The door quickly shut behind Joe and silence engulfed the room without any effort.

Joe awkwardly waved. "Hi."

"Hey." Jess and Jules were in harmony once again.

"So... umm, why'd you stop by?" Jess asked timidly, a bit to timid for her own taste.

A smile broke out on Joe's face and the awkwardness was gone. "I came here to invite you to dinner with my parents. I told them you were back in town and they want to have breakfast with you tomorrow afternoon. So what do you say?"

"I'd loved to but, how exactly would I pull it off?" A speck of annoyance and anger flashed in the hidden depths of Joe's eyes and Jess knew exactly why they were there. Joe was sick and tired of sneaking behind her parents back, it was tiring and annoying to both of them, but Jess knew it had to be done this way or there would be no Joe and Jess. Jess could see the words forming on Joe's mouth, ready to roll of his tongue to start another dispute over the issue.

Luckily, before Joe could say anything, Jules decided to let her presence to be known. "Oh, oh, I know, I know!" She bounced up and down on her knees on Jess' bed. Both Joe and Jess turned to look her, waiting for her to tell them her plan. "It's easy. Remember that time last Spring when we slept over Joe's but said we were staying over Mel's?" Both Joe and Jess groaned. Memories overwhelmed Jess' floodgates, memories of one drunk Jules, one sober Joe, and one sober Jess trying to keep the tall female out of trouble. The vomiting during the night and the hangover the next morning. Jess called both of their parent's telling them they were staying over Mel's when in actuality they were at Joe's apartment, with Jess and Joe nursing a overly intoxicated Jules.

Joe jammed his hands into his back pocket. "How could we ever forget."

"Well all you've got to do is the same thing this time... minus a drunk me and substitute Mel's for my house." 

"But won't your mother and father notice I'm missing when you go home and in the morning?"

"All we have to do is sneak you out later tonight and you'll meet me at the park around six, I'll tell them you went out earlier than me for a longer run. See easy." Jules was simply ecstatic at her own sheer brilliance, to say the least.

"Sounds okay to me, what do you think Jess." Both Joe and Jules decided it was time to play stare at Jess until she started to squirm and twitch. It was a fun game, unless you were being the one stared at.

"Well..."

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Jess dropped her bags by Joe's black leather couch. It was nearing nine when she reached Jules and it was at ten fifty-nine that Jess reached Joe's apartment. Now it was eleven thirteen, Jess unceremoniously plopped herself on a leather couch, letting the cool leather massage her skin and tired limbs.

Joe's place was a two bedroom apartment with a living room, an open kitchen, a nook, a fireplace and a full bathroom. The larger bedroom was used as Joe's room, the second was more of a storage closet than a room to Jess. A desk and chair, along with a lamp, stayed hidden underneath unpacked boxes, empty boxes, paper, and pictures.

The apartment looked no different from a year ago, the first time she had ever been to Joe's place. His apartment was directed in the _"typical" _masculine style, but because it was Joe, everything was neat except for the storage closet.

"I'm going to get changed." Joe called out as he disappeared down the hallway. Jess merely muttered a _'uh-huh' _then right away went back to her limbo of half-awake and half-asleep state. She was barely awake when Joe made his reappearance clad in blue boxers... only blue boxers. Jess was allowed a peak at the lean, but not thin man. He was corded with muscle but not too much as though he looked like a musclebuilder. The muscles were just enough to give him a frame.

Jess was startled awake when Joe placed her in his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. She felt him sink his face into her dark silky locks and '_secretively' _smell her hair. Jess naturally relaxed in his embrace as he murmured into her ear. "So how has your stay back in England so far?"

Jess yawned and shifted in his arms. "Not much to say since I've been here just a bit more than twenty-four hours."

"Well then, we better make sure the next few hours are exceptionally good." Joe began to nuzzle her neck with his nose, turning her towards slowly he kissed his way down to her collar bone, where he met up with the "medal" of honor gracing Jess' collarbone by his own mouth. He smiled against her olive skin before he started play with the hickey with his tongue. Slowly but surely Jess could feel Joe's coarse hands make their way under her loose shirt and when they did, she wasn't very surprised that they began too began to play with her skin. Joe's soft mouth was making its way upward towards her mouth and was almost there when a low grumbling earthquake erupted from Jess' stomach. Joe could not help but laugh. "Guess maybe I should feed you, love. Wouldn't want anything to happen to you, right?"

Untangling his legs from hers, Joe got up from the couch, heading for the kitchen. Jess sat frozen on the couch with a light pink hue working its way to her cheeks. 

"Does mac and cheese sound good to you?" Joe was bend over at the waist looking for a pot in a cabinet. Jess turned her head so that she could see Joe in the kitchen.

"Yea, sure." Jess could here herself call out to him even though it did not register to her mind that she had said it. Jess was to busy admiring her full view of Joe's butt with no distractions or interruptions. 

"Dammit, I can't find the stupid pot, it's got to be here somewhere." Joe kept searching for the pot and Jess kept admiring. Somewhere in Jess' mind a red light flashed on and off repeatedly and a voice called out,

_'Danger! Danger! Mayday! Mayday!' _but she was having a hard time multi-tasking when it came to an inner voice and Joe's butt.

Jess really wished she had listened to the voice when Joe turned around triumphant with pot in hand and caught where her eye's were, or more like where her eyes were set to. Jess turned around and directed her gaze to the blank t.v. and kept it there.

"See anything you like?"

Jess decided to play innocent until proven guilty. "Yea, I already told you that your apartment looks nice a year ago."

"No, you know that's not what I'm talking about." Joe's voice came directly from behind her into her ear. Jess turned around and found herself literally nose to nose with her boyfriend.

"Nope, don't know what you're talking about."

One eyebrow cocked over a pale gray eye. "You were checking out my butt."

"Was not!" An indignant look mixed in with shock.

"Was too!" Joe tugged on Jess' ponytail.

"Was not!" She turned her back to Joe. Joe jumped over the side of the couch to land next to Jess, then he pounced on her. Literally.

Joe held her hands captive with one of his own over her head, his other had helped to keep all his body weight off of her on the side, and he held her legs down with his own. Joe kissed the hickey again and Jess wouldn't have been surprised to find out that Joe could make a hickey on top of a hickey. "No worries, I've stared at your butt before. I did last night in fact, but I do it discreetly so no one notices. Not even the subject." Jess tried to unlock one of her hands from his grip to hit him, but Joe would not let go of her wrist and he smirked an all-knowing-smug smirk at her. "You know what."

"What?" Jess was not very pleased at the moment so her reply was a bit ruff.

"I think I'm hungry."

"So go finish making the mac and cheese already." Joe's pot was already abandoned on the floor behind the couch when he went to pounce Jess.

"I have a better idea."

"Wha–" Joe captured Jess' mouth with his own and Jess' rude reply floated somewhere off to another part off her brain, a part of her brain not occupied by Joe, Joe's mouth, or Joe kissing her. 

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That's it for this chapter. Reviews? Praise? Critique? Praise the shiny button on the bottom. It 

likes being clicked.

  
  
  
  



	3. Wake Up Call

Disclaimer: If you're wondering if I own Bend It Like Beckham yet, then the answer is no. We can't have everything we want or right about now I would rule the world. Total world domination, gotta love... Napoleon had the right idea.

Author's Note: I thought that they're were not enough Bend it Like Beckham fanfics on fanfiction.net so I'm really glad people are enjoying it. I just want to let everyone know that now that I am going back to school my updates might not be every other day like I have been doing originally. Maybe a chapter a week or a chapter in two weeks *_People wielding pitchforks and torches appear and point them at poor defenseless Pixy2* _But there will be updates!... Don't hurt me please... please, I'm too young to die _*The people start drawing closer to poor defenseless undefendable little Pixy2_*. Oh look there's Joe all by himself behind you! *The people look and Pixy runs off in the opposite direction*.

REVIEWS REVIEWS REVIEWS! YAY! I GOT REVIEWS!

P.S.: Thank you WeLoveJoeClub (we all do love Joe, don't we?), us, shopgirl909, Jenn, organized-chaos (Of course Jess is thrilled but in her own way), Charlie, and Layla for the kind reviews. And I'd like to thank anyone who reads Just Bend It.

P.S.S.: Jenn, I would be honored to have a Jess/Joe whore by my side in the fight against the machines!... Er... wrong movie... again... sorry!

Summary: Sometimes, off the field life isn't as easy as it should be, and during those trying times of the "heart" and "spirit", you wake up and realize something. You've just got to get over it and just bend it!

Just Bend It

  


Chapter Three: Wake Up Call

The warm blanket of the sun caressed her face with its fingers, the warm smell of cologne slowly crept towards her nostrils trying hard to awaken her from her sleep, but Jess would not allow it. She shifted and dug a tunnel underneath the bed sheet and turned to her side to block the expert fingers of the sun. Unfortunately for Jess, she could not block out or hide from an Irish man on a mission.

Joe gently shook Jess on her shoulders, but the Indian girl did not respond to his touch. "Jess, love, you've got to wake up." Not even the sound of his rich sleep mussed Irish voice calling out to her, persuaded Jess enough to make her want to wake her up. Joe sat Jess up in his lap and just shook her a little harder and shifted in his arms drawing closer to the source of heat.

With one more shake, an eyelid opened and a dark honey colored orb stared at Joe. "Sleep, please!" Jess whined.

"But we've got to get ready to go to breakfast. Remember my parents want to see you."

The orb gave Joe a cursory glance before it shut and it's owner was falling into the spell of Rip Van Winkle once agin.

"Jess!" Joe exclaimed, and as an answer Jess snuggled closer to him. Joe threw head back and looked at his ceiling as he sighed in exasperation. "C'mon love, please wake up for me?"

An eye opened once again and gave Joe a cursory glance before it shut again. "What's in it for me?"

"Jess!"

Her eyes stayed shut. "You're not dressed yet. You go shower."

A cheeky grin cracked onto Joe's face. "But.." Joe gently began to rub Jess' thigh, stroking it up and down then back to the top again."... I was hoping you would come join me." Joe put on his best puppy dog look with full pout and watery eyes included, for free, once he saw Jess looking at him with two wide eyes. "Please?"

Jess shook her head. "Didn't we have a similair conversation to this a year ago? Except–"

"–Jules was making beautiful romantic noises of her vomiting from my bathroom?" Joe smiled down at Jess happily.

Jess caught Joe's smile, and wasn't very shocked about it. Joe had this special smile that reached his gray eyes and made them crinkle at the side. Jess always found this smile to be contagious. "That sounds just about right."

"Good, now that I see you're up, you can get in the shower. I'll got make us some coffee." Joe released Jess' waist with a smile pinch that made the said female leap and make a small squeak. Joe climbed out of his bed and stretched out his back slowly in front of the now fully awake Jess. Joe made sure that his muscles were not stiff, while Jess made sure he didn't discover she was staring.

Learning her lesson from the previous night, Jess admired her subject discreetly and made sure that her subject didn't notice... and he didn't.

Joe turned around to look at Jess at she stared back him. "Anything you want in your coffee?"

"Do you have french vanilla coffee?"

An eyebrow shot up. "No." 

"How could you not?" Jess asked dumbfounded. 

Joe laughed at her, which believe or not, the Indian girl was getting used to. People just seemed to love doing it to her this vacation. "I see that America is spoiling you."

"No, it's not."

"Yes it is."

"Fine it is. Could you please just a lot of sugar and cream into my coffee?"

"Fine, now get in the shower."

Jess mouth opened wide and stayed that way for a moment before she could push a few words out of her mouth. "Are you bossing me around?"

Joe tapped his chin looking like he was in deep thought. "As a matter a fact I am." He raised both of his eyebrows as if to challenge Jess to do something. When she didn't do or say anything he began to walk towards his bedroom door... then a pillow connected with the back of Joe's head. Joe turned around and glared at the_ 'innocent' _female wearing an oversized t-shit, sitting in his bed with a halo floating above her _'guiltless' _head. 

_'A halo held up by horns...'_ Joe thought sorely.

"Yes, Joe?" Jess asked as she saw him staring while she slowly crawled out of his bed. 

"Why'd you throw that at me?"

Eyes still wide with '_innocence' _and _'ignorance'_ Jess answered his question. "Throw what?"

Joe rolled his eyes and showed her the pillow in question. "This pillow."

"I didn't throw that pillow at you Joe. Why would I do that, even if you are acting like a obsessive compulsive, bossy prick... you're just paranoid, _love_." Jess walked around Joe and his pillow making her way towards the bedroom door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go take a show–"

Jess never made it to the door. Joe tackled his girlfriend into his bed, with her laughing the whole way there."You little sneak!"

"I still don't know what you're talking about!" Jess said in between her laughs.

Joe looked down at her incredulously. "Still playing the innocent bystander, eh?" 

"I'm playing innocent because I am innocent." Jess was still laughing.

"Really, eh?" Jess nodded yes. "Okay, then." Jess moved to get up, thinking Joe was letting her go, but instead Joe began to tickle her. The defenseless female squirmed and squealed under Joe's relentless hands, wishing that he never found out she was ticklish. Joe made his grand finale by playing, in other words kissing, Jess on her most ticklish spot, behind her neck. 

When Jess' squeals died down, Joe spoke. "Now, could you please go to the bathroom?"

Jess sniffled pathetically as she shimmied under his arms and began to walk out his room. "Do I still get coffee?" She looked at Joe with a pout on.

Joe closed his eyes and stretched languidly on his bed. "Hmmm, I'll have to think about it." A _'mysterious' _pillow found its way to Joe's face. "Hey!"

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Joe looked like a younger replica of his dad. From the hair, to the nose, to mouth, to the body build. The only thing he got from his mother were his pale gray eyes, which was a nice addition, at least it was to Jess.

Diana Richards opened the door to the two-story house very happy to see her son and Jess on the other side. Her short mahogany hair was clipped back by a few pins and dough streaks graced her smiling face. A smile very similair to her son's. 

Diana swept Jess into arms, giving the much shorter girl a tight hug that literally crushed her bones and took her breath away. "Jess, I'm so glad to see you." Diana released Jess, and Jess could finally feel the rush of air return to her lungs.

"Hi, Mrs. Richards." Jess followed Diana into the suburban house as she made her way to the kitchen.

"Jess, please call me Diana." Diana looked over Jess' head at her son. "Hi Joe, sweety."

Joe waved."Hi mom."

"Not going to give, your dear old mother a hug?"

Joe walked up to his mother and hugged, then set her down, but not before he carried her the rest of the way to the kitchen. "Good?"

Diana fixed her clothes once she was set down on her feet. "Good."

In many ways, Diana reminded Jess of Mrs. Paxton, except a bit less exuberant and colorful, and a bit more sporty. 

Jess and Joe sat down at the kitchen table that was already occupied by Jonathon Richards. "Hello Jess, hello Joe." Jonathon had a stronger accent than Joe and Jess found it funny when the two men began to yell about things, like a wrong call by a referee, together.

"Hi dad." 

"Hi Mr.Rich–" Jonathon cleared his throat. "Jonathon."

Jonathan lowered his newspaper, lips curled in a greeting grin. "'ello there. Must be great to be back in England, eh Jess?"

"Yes it is."

Diana set down a large plate of scrambled eggs along with a large stack of pancakes and bacon down. After she took off her soccer ball patterned apron and hung it on a hook, she took a seat between her husband and son.

"All right, let's eat." Diana said as she served herself some pancakes.

The sounds of clanking and metal scraping the plate soon filled the quaint kitchen.

"So, Jess, how's soccer doing in that college of yours?" asked Jonathan as he filled his second plate.

"We're doing good."

Joe shook his. "She's being modest, Saint Clara's soccer tem is number one in their region. I have reason to believe it's because of her." Underneath the table Joe grasped Jess' hand

Diana pushed some loose locks out of her eyes and gave Jess an encouraging smile. "That's great." Jess faced flushed with pink, she really did despise blushing and the fact that Joe knew how to make her blush. "They were good before I got there."

Right in front of his parents, Joe kissed Jess straight on the mouth, without any warning at all. Jess' face was nearing a bright red, a strikingly similair color to an American fire truck. Fire-engine red was really_ flattering_ color. _Really_. "I'm sure helped them along once you got there."

"Oh, how adorable." Diana gushed, her maternal pride reflecting on her face. 

"Jules is good too."

Joe gave Jess' hand a small squeeze, his gray eyes looking into her dark honey brown ones. "Yes, but I'm talking about you right now. And stop being so modest."

Joe just seemed to be insisting on making her blush today, and he was doing a very good job. Jess averted her eyes to her plate of food. Diana literally looked like she wanted to take both her son and Jess in her arms and hug them as if they were adorable puppy dogs.

"Well, that's good. So will you be playing for the Hounslow Harriers once you get out of college?"

This time Jess looked Joe in the eye. "As long as they want me, sure. But I'll need a good salary and a good coach."

"I can get you a good coach, but the salary... I wouldn't know about that."

Jess playfully frowned at Joe. "I've heard about the Harriers coach, they say his a bit iffy."

Joe pointed to himself with his free hand with a look of exasperation. "Me, iffy?" Jess reluctantly nodded her head yes. "Iffy!" Another slow nod from yes was Joe's answer. "I can't believe you'd say that Jess."

Jess shrugged. "I don't make the news I only report it."

Joe glowered at her with narrowed eyes of gray and she laughed at him, it was about time she laughed at someone else for a change of pace.

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One soft lip lock and embrace.

A car door opened.

A hand on an arm.

"One more."

Another soft lip lock and embrace.

A car opened once again.

A hand pulling a person back into a car.

"Another one."

A longer soft lip lock and intense embrace.

The sound of someone making barfing noise in the background.

"Joe! Let Jess go!"

With one small peck on Jess' lips, Joe relinquished his hold on Jess and she climbed out of his car. Jess still leaned her head inside of the car through the car window.

"Finally!" Jules was nearly jumping for joy on the street corner.

"Bye Jess."

"Bye Joe."

"Love you.

"Lov–" Jules ripped Jess from the car window.

"Yea, yea, she loves you too. Now bye! We've got to get to my house."

Joe sighed. "Bye to you too, Jules."

"Bye." Jules dragged Jess behind her as she jetted down the streets. Jess waved goodbye to Joe and waved goodbye in return.

"You two are sickening!"

Jess smiled. "Thanks"

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That's it for this chapter. Reviews? Praise? Critique? Praise the shiny button on the bottom. It likes being clicked.


	4. A Parent's Real Nightmare

Disclaimer: ... What?... If owned Bend it Like Beckham somehow I don't think I would be posting fanfiction... I would be making its sequel! Maybe I can pitch this idea to Gurinder Chadha, she just might take pity on me and have it made... hmmm... The possibilities ...

Author's Note: I'm baaack! And have no fear I have brought chapter cuatro conmigo (I know, my Spanish is really bad, feel free to correct me)... okay you may all join in with me for a celebration at Cheers tonight around eight. Just bring your own money, sorry but I'm not paying. Got to love Cheers, where everybody knows your name. But we have to wrap it up by ten... my bedtime is at ten-thirty. =(^-^)= 

Dude I got reviews!

P.S.: Thanks Charlie, organized-chaos (I told ya Jess was happy in her own way, she's just a bit of a worry-wort at times), clovergrl, RoxyAngel (In the movie they don't give Joe a last name, and I've decided his last name should be Richard. He looks like a Richard doesn't he... but he also looks like a Richardson, oh the wonders of the invisible world), Shadow, Loreta (thanks for the sites, I've checked them out... but I haven't got around to posting... Pixy2 can be a lazy bum sometimes... okay a lot of the times), weaslypotter, and XxEternityxX for the encouraging reviews. I'm honored that people take the time to read my story and review, I just don't know what to say. _*Wipes the tears from her eyes* _I guess I just have to say thank to all the people who have supported and kept me grounded _*Pixy2 holds up her Bob statuette to the crowd, and the crowd goes wild with loud cheering and clapping. Pixy2 sniffs before the orchestra music starts and she is escorted off the stage by her two of favorite fanfic writers*_ Thank you. 

P.S.S.: Actually weaslypotter, I'm not Indian but I am West Indian... does that count? The names well I'll let you (and anyone else who reads this) in on a secret. Many of the names (with exception of Megana and Ameet, which are taken from people I know) are from the actresses and actors in BiLB. Like the actor who plays Mr. Bhamra is actually named Anupam, and the same with Mrs. Bhamra, her name is actually Shaheen. I also named Joe's father after Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (the actor who plays Joe) but I changed the spelling of his name.

P.S.S.S.: IS Jess and Jules' College called Saint Clara's, Saint Clara, Santa Clara's, or Santa Clara? I'm so confused._*A loud sigh* _Now that I've got that off my chest... let's get this chapter started.

Hope I to see everyone at Cheers! And don't be late, we can't forget about the bedtime. 

Summary: Sometimes, off the field life isn't as easy as it should be, and during those trying times of the "heart" and "spirit", you wake up and realize something. You've just got to get over it and just bend it!

Just Bend It

Chapter Four: A Parent's Real Nightmare

"I can't believe it!" Shaheen Bhamra exclaimed as she walked into the kitchen brandishing a pink envelope and invitation in her hands. Pinky looked up from the pot she was stirring and looked at her mother questioningly. Meanwhile, Jess concentrated on cutting the cabbage correctly, she didn't need the _'Being-In-America-Has-Made-You-Forget-How-To-Cook-Properly Speech'_ again, it was quite tiring and annoying after hearing it for three years straight.

"What's wrong mom?"

Shaheen looked at the pink invitation in her hands in disgust. "Look at this!" Shaheen shoved the invitation underneath Pinky's nose. Prying the card from Shaheen's hands, Pinky slowly began to read the invitation. It wasn't long before she joined her mother in the hysteria.

"I can't believe this!" Pinky looked unbelievably at the invitation before she sniffed the card and smelt the sweet smell of perfume on the card."She–she–she stole my idea!" Pinky looked just about ready to stomp, rip up, and burn the card and its envelope.

Sick and tired of being in the dark, Jess turned from her _sweat breaking hard_ work and looked at her mother and sister. "What's wrong?"

Pinky basically, not too politely either, shoved the card into Jess' hands. "_Blah... blah... blah... You are cordially invited to the conjoining of__ Bubbly Virk and Tazul Farley_... hey, I always knew Taz wasn't his full name!" 

Shaheen waved her hands in the air out of exasperation. "That is not important Jessminder. Look at the location!"

"Okay,_ this wonderful event will take place in Cedar Hall on June twenty-second_. What exactly is wrong with this? Because I know that I'm definitely not seeing what you two are seeing."

"Argh! Sometimes Jess you can be so dunce! Cedar Hall? Does that ring any bell at all? Rich, ritzy, over the top hall? Tell me when any of this is sinking through?"

" Pinky, I know what Cedar Hall is, but I don't get what is the problem with–" She paused waving the invitation in Pinky's face. "–this."

"You don't see it?" Jess looked at her mother blankly. "Jessminder, the Virk's are just trying to flaunt their money in our faces!"

"Yea, they're just trying to out do my wedding. And Bubbly stole my idea of scented wedding invitations!"

Realization dawned on Jess like the rising of the sun over the horizon. "Oh, is that all?"

"Is that all! Jessminder sometimes I wonder where you're head is at times! This an insult to our family. I never did like Paven Virk. Not even when we we're both back in highschool and she wasn't a Virk then. She has always been a show-off, showy, and supercilious."

"But mom, didn't you, her, Mr. Virk, and dad move to England together?"

"Yes, but she wasn't as much as a show-off back then." Jess rolled her eyes.

"I can't stand Bubbly, and she is just as much as a show-off as Mrs. Virk. And she's even more of a stuck up bitchy heifer." Jess waited for her mother to reprimand Pinky for cursing in the house and was shocked to see her mother nod in agreement with Pinky. Both frowned at the offending card, that was now placed on the counter between both of the glaring ladies thanks to Jess.

Jess watched this scene in amusement from the sideline. 'Like mother, like daughter. I guess they bond over complaining about people. I wonder if this is how mom was with grandma.... does this mean in a few years Pinky will turn into mum...' Jess looked at her mother then sister then back to her mother again before returning to Pinky. She did this a few times before she shook her head clear of a oncoming headache that was bound to attack her. Jess made her way to the backdoor in the hopes that fresh air, at least the freshest air you can find, would clear her mind.

"And where are you going Jessminder, have you finished cutting up the cabbage properly. I hope so because ever since you have been America your cooking hasn't been up to par, I don't know wh–"

Realizing the potential of a speech ready to be spouted out of her mother's mouth, Jess decided to cut in. "Yes, mom. I just want to go outside and see what Megana is up to."

"Oh, okay." Shaheen turned her attention from her younger daughter back to her older daughter and The Invitation.

Jess walked out the open doors to the small backyard. She spotted an abandoned soccer ball on the floor and Jess began to volley the ball around with her legs.

Jess was about to punt the soccer ball when she felt something tugged on her loose t-shirt. "Watcha doing?"

Jess turned around to see the pixie face of the two-year-old Megana smiling up at her, with both of her two front teeth absent from her wide playful grin. "Nothing much, just playing with the soccer ball."

The absence of her two front teeth gave Megana a slight accent."Oh. I can't play wif da soccer ball."

Jess knew the exact reason why Megan couldn't, but because she knew her niece wanted some attention she asked her why.

" 'Cause Grandma says that a young lady shouldn't go around wearin' short shorts showin' off her legs for all the world to see 'nd she says that young ladies shouldn't play this game to begin wif."

Jess picked the ball of the ground and tucked it under her arms, all the while avoiding eye contact with her niece. "Really?"

"Yea, and mommy won't let me play any games wif Mr. Joe if it has a soccer ball in it. 'Nd Grandma always starts screamin' about dis lady called Imani, 'nd you, 'nd shame on de family if she ever sees me wif a soccer ball."

"Hmmm, I see."

"But you wanna know somethin' Auntie Jess?"

"Sure, what Megana."

Megana crooked one of her chubby fingers and beckoned Jess towards her. Jess complied and got down to her knees and leaned her ear to the cherubs mouth. "I like playin' wif da soccer ball when no ones a round. Just don't tell anyone, 'kay?" Megan held out her pinky finger.

"I promise." Jess interlocked her pinky finger with Megana.

A grin broke out on Jess' face, after all, there had to be at least on black sheep per generation, why not have two. Plus, Jess was real curious to know what exactly happens if there are two soccer girls in one family.

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Jess sat in the corner of a small café waiting for Tony to arrive with the mysterious Mr. Ameet. She had already drunk four glasses of water, eaten the lemon slices, and built a pyramid out of the salt, cinnamon, pepper, sugar, paprika, and 'its-not-real-sugar' sugar shakers. She even played eye-spy by herself. 

Her boredom was reaching new heights.

"Hiya Jess."

Jess looked up to see Tony standing over her, next to him stood a tall Indian man with wild black locks touching his shoulder, a leather jacket, a white tank, and denim blue jeans. If Jess were not heavily involved with Joe, and Ameet wasn't with Tony (and not to mention bisexual) she would have been interested in him. "Hey Tony." She looked at Ameet with the scrutinizing eyes of a parent looking a potential suitor for their child. But those were a lot of if's. "Hello there, you must be the infamous and mysterious Ameet."

Ameet smile down devilishly. "That depends."

Both Tony and Jess turned to look at Ameet. "On what?" Jess finally asked after a pregnant pause.

"It depends on if Tony has told me only good things about you." Jess nodded a 'yes'.

Ameet's grin become two times as large than his original smile. "Then you have the wrong guy."

Jess laughed, Ameet seemed to be a nice guy.

After spending twenty minutes with Ameet and Tony, Jess found out they had met on the college's campus and hit it off right away, something Jess did not know. Jess also found out Ameet was the run of the mill Indian family's worse nightmare. He did not cut his hair, had diamond studs in each of his five piercings in his right ear, liked his diamond and gold ring that he bought himself, rode a motorcycle, did not like traditional food, wore too much leather, was a literal wild child, lived as a starving artist, was an inspiring artist, and then there was the fact that he was gay. To Jess, he was the perfect match for Tony. A bit wild, but still perfect for Tony.

"So, now that I've met you, when do I meet your handsome Irish boyfriend." Ameet asked as Jess was finishing off her sixth glass of water. Water escaped Jess' mouth and flew across the table to the unsuspecting Tony, who had just elbowed Ameet in the stomach.

"What?"

Ameet closed his eyes sagely, and leaned back on his chair. "No need to be shy about it."

"You told him?" Jess accused Tony hysterically.

Tony shook his head back and forth. "No." 

"Then how–"

"I read one of your letters over his shoulder and he didn't realize I was reading until it was too late. I know he was hiding something but when I found out you had an English boyfriend I almost died right there."

Jess glared at the nonchalant Ameet. "I don't see anything wrong with it."

Ameet opened his dark chocolate eyes to stare at Jess. "Now I know you're lying." Jess was lying, but Ameet didn't need to know that... okay maybe he did.

"So?"

"I know I am a nightmare for a parent, so what does that make you. I guess you're just a bad daydream, a hobgoblin then."

"What do you mean?"

Ameet leaned forward on the table."Well you play soccer, which includes wearing forbid I say it..." Ameet looked dramatically around the café. "Wearing really short shorts. You go to a college in America. You plan on playing soccer professionally. Don't have a nice Indian boyfriend. And dare I say it." Ameet looked around the café once more before he leaned forwards to talk to Jess again. "You have an Irish boyfriend. No not just English, but Irish with a capital 'I'." Ameet looked down at his fingers that he used to count all of Jess offenses. "Hey, what do you know, you qualify to be a nightmare. The last one definitely counts for a least four in my book." 

"You think so?"

"I know so. After all I am an expert. Right Tony?" Ameet leaned towards his boyfriend.

All Tony could do was sigh in silent irritation. 

Ameet and Jess smirked. "I like you Jess."

"And I like you Ameet." Jess said, and she meant it.

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"So you've met Ameet, what's he like?"

Jess stared at the ceiling of her room. "To put it honestly, he's an Indian parents worse nightmare and he knows it. It's almost as if he wants to be at this 'supreme' level."

Jess could hear Jules snickers over the phone. "You're kidding me."

"Nope, but you'll be honored to know he thinks I'm an Indian parents' worse nightmare too." Jess rolled onto her stomach and began to doodle invisible drawings onto her bed with her finger.

"This guy sounds interesting to me."

"He is. You don't even want to know the details."

"No that you've said that, yes I do."

"Well first off he has a pierced ear. Five in one ear!" Jules gasped dramatically over the phone. "And–"

"Jessminder get down here and set the table. Make an extra setting, Joe is here." Shaheen voice floated through Jess' closed door and danced in Jess' ears.

"So lover boy is there, huh?" Jules drawled.

"Yes."

"Well then, have phone and don't you two do anything bad or else!"

"This is a change, what happened to the Miss. He-Is-Absolutely-Shaggable-I-Think-I'll-Date-Him-Jules?"

Jules groaned. "She met up with Pep-Talking-Careful-About-What-You-Do-Obsessive-Mother-Paula-Paxton."

"Does she know about Liam yet?"

"No, and I bless that fact every single day while I'm. I can't wait to go back to Santa Clara's." 

"I wonder why."

"Jessminder, stop talking on the phone and come set the table!"

"Guess that's my cue. See you tomorrow."

"Yup, see you tomorrow. Bye Jules."

"Bye Jess." Jess clicked the 'off' button on the phone and rolled out her bed, wanting to get downstairs before her mother called her again, or better yet, sent Pinky or Megana to get her.

"Jessminder!"

"I'm coming mom." Jess opened her door and headed down the steps. She could see Joe sitting on the couch talking to Teetu about who knows what, knowing them it was probably sports, her father sitting down in a chair reading his newspaper, and Megana crawling around in his lap, occasionally tugging his beard. Joe's silver eyes flicked over to Jess and he gave a small smile that was directed and only noticed by Jess.

Jess winked in return before she ran off into kitchen, bravely facing what no soldier in their right mind would.... An angry and irritated Shaheen Bhamra... At least Jess knew who won this battle, and it definitely wasn't her.

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That's it for this chapter. Reviews? Praise? Critique? Praise the shiny button that lurks at the bottom left hand corner of this page... The button likes to be praised, it also likes comments on it's new outfits, but I'd be careful what you tell it, it might get offended.

Buttons... go figure.


	5. Uhhuh Right?

Disclaimer: ... Since I'm sure you (the dear reader) has not missed out on the last few chapters of this story then I'm sure you know that I don't own BiLB... I know it's such a shame...

Author's Note: Err, hi? I was going to update last week Friday when my computer's connection went bye-bye for no reason, so I decided to this chapter to school on a floppy disk only to find out that the writing programs were not compatible (_)and all the words looked Greek, as in Greek symbols... bummer... sorry for the long wait. But now I'm back with chapter five and guess what! _*Crowd says what* _I finally have started to bring in some conflict! _*And the Crowd goes wild*_Thank-you. Hope the "conflict" isn't the typical conflict, I don't plan on it being anyway... hehehe... once I'm through hehehe... you all shall see! Surprisingly enough I'm finally getting into the real plot, everything else was just background info, why I didn't do it in one chapter is because Pixy is too lazy... and Pixy likes talking in third person...yay!

P.S. My P.S.S. and P.S.S.S. are at the bottom.

Summary: Sometimes, off the field life isn't as easy as it should be, and during those trying times of the "heart" and "spirit", you wake up and realize something. You've just got to get over it and just bend it!

Just Bend It

Chapter Five: Uh-huh... Right?

"So this Ameet guy is completely off the chart?"Jules asked as she and Jess neared the Harriers field.

"Yup, a Parent's Worse Nightmare, to put it exactly. But he's absolutely perfect for Tony, I can just tell."

Jules gave an exaggerated sigh. "Young love." She twirled around in a circle before she grabbed Jess to join her. "Spring is in the air!"

Jess decided it was better to join her than try and beat her, a Jules full of six cups highly caffeinated coffee and tons of sugar was hard to beat. The twirled themselves to the sidelines of the field where Joe stood coaching his team through a faux soccer match.

Joe saw Jules and Jess out of the corner of his eyes. He turned to address them quickly. "Hi Jess, hi Jules." Immediately he went back to "coaching", in other words yelling, at his team. Once he saw a large mistake on the field he called a time-out and rushed out on the field with his jogging pants swishing with each movement.

Once Jules saw Joe was out of hearing range she turned to look down at the somber Indian woman standing next to her. "No kissing, no hugging, no flirting... What happened?"

_Sigh_."Last night he was over and he convinced me that we should tell my parents, except I chickened out... again. I told them that I plan to finish college in Britain and play on Harriers team next year. It's true but not the exact confession Joe–"

Jules rolled her blue eyes to the sky. "– Wanted you to tell your parents. No wonder he is so pissy. Jess you know how much he hates keeping this secret from your parents. For goodness sakes, the whole Harriers team knows, his parents know, California knows, your sister knows, I'm sure Megana knows, but the people he wants the most approval from don't know. This is bound to blow up in your face Jess, it's bound to. Remember secrets don't work out for you without a big boom–" Jules fluttered her hands to make them look like an explosion. "–happening."

Jess' shoulder's deflated and her body sagged. "I know, but I'm afraid that the approval he wants won't come."

Jules wrapped an arm around her best friends shoulder. "You'll never know unless you try. And if you don't get it you'll just have to fight for it. Anything that is important to you is worth a hard fight."

Jess looked slyly up at Jules who put on a very sage-looking facial expression. Jess grinned cheekily at Jules with all her white teeth winking at the fair haired female. "You got that last line from a movie, didn't you?"

The sage look deflated and left standing was a nervously laughing Jules, waving her hand to dismiss Jess correct guess. She saw Joe heading back to sidelines and without any hesitation she pushed Jess towards him whispering, "Now, kiss and make up." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively then walked off in the opposite direction to do who knows what, but Jules seemed to have her own objective.

Jess bumped in to Joe and he locked down at her with one eyebrow cocked questioningly. Jess gave him a shaky and uncoordinated smile that felt more like a grimace than a smile, before she nervously tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Joe, I just– I just want to–" Jess paused and took a deep breath, even though it did nothing for her rattled nerves. "–say that I am sorry about yesterday. I know that you want us to tell my parents, but– but I– I don't think I am ready to." There she was done.

Joe looked slightly miffed at Jess and ran a hand through his already mussed hair. "Then when will you be Jess? It's been three years, three good wonderful mind-blowing years that I have spent hiding from your family that you are my girlfriend. The same woman who I would kiss until she was damn blue in the face and give her plenty of hickey's. But instead I must act like I am merely a friend like Tony."

Jess somehow felt that she should correct him about Tony, but she knew it wasn't the time or place, nor was it her secret to tell. Finally, someone with a large secret other than her! If she were not out in public or having to deal with a serious issue she may have just started to do the macarena in her happiness, but Jess wouldn't do it now. She did not feel the need to turn a bright neon red that could even blind the sun after the embarrassment of doing the macarena in public.

"I know but–"

"Joe!" A man, in his early thirties, in a tailored black pinstriped suit called out from the distance. His dark brown was slicked back and black shades covered his eyes. The man was as tall and gangly a growing tree. Jess was sure that if her mother saw him she would give up on trying to put meat on her bones and try make the man three dimensional rather than the two dimensional figure he was now. The man walked briskly and situated himself in front of Jess and Joe. Joe and the man quickly shook each others hands heartily before they pulled away. "Hey there Joe. Just wanted to stop by and see how everything is going." Jess had no idea what was going on.

_'Who is this guy?' _Jess wondered as she stared at the man.

Joe smiled. "Everything is going fine Mr. Waters."

The man waved his hand airily. "What have I told you Joe, just call me JJ."

That was when the answer to Jess' own unasked question streaked naked in front of her face dancing and doing, what looked like to Jess, an amazing combination of back flips and cart wheels. JJ Waters was the owner of the Hounslow Harriers and the man responsible for getting the team going professional.

JJ finally noticed Jess standing next to Joe, Jess' short height kind of always had that effect. "Hello there. And Joe may I ask who is this lovely woman beside you?"

"This is Jessminder Bhamra, she was one of our top players on the team three years ago before she went to college in America. She actually plans on coming back and start playing for us this summer."

JJ held out his hands and Jess shook it. "Wonderful, nice to meet you Jessmindah, call me JJ."

Jess did not even wince or blink at the mispronunciation of her name she was very used to the butchering of her first and last name, three years in America could do that to a person. "Then please call me Jess."

"Jess, eh? I know I've heard that name before." JJ eye's floated to Joe then back to Jess then back to Joe, Jess could see the imaginary wheels turning somewhere in his minds, then two sprockets finally connected and JJ figured the _"great mystery" _out. "You're Joe's girlfriend! I've heard so much about you from him." JJ cocked a thumb at the know flustered Joe, for once it was not Jess blushing and she was enjoying his embarrassment to the fullest of her abilities. "Nothing but good things of course..."

And that was how she spent the part of the first half of the Harriers' practice session, talking to JJ Waters, Joe, and Jules, who soon joined the group later on. JJ was very happy to find two women who were good soccer players, both of whom had already played for the team, best friends, went to the same college, and played on the college team together, getting ready to join the Harriers. Jess and Jules were in complete sync with each others moves on and off the field, it showed mostly when they talked to other people because usually finished the others sentence and used the same hand movements.

JJ left and Jess and Joe were about to get ready to "talk", translation – argue, about telling Jess' parents when another person called out Joe's name.

Except this time it wasn't a man. It was a woman.

A tall woman with a full figure.

A tall woman with a full figure and stylish long black hair.

A tall woman with a full figure, stylish long black hair, and glittering blue gems for eyes.

The earth bound naiad slinked towards her, Joe, and Jules with an air of grace, and to put it simply Jess was stupefied. The mystery woman obviously knew Joe, Joe obviously knew her, and Jess wanted to know how.

"Joe it's so good to see you. I went over your parent's house and Diana told me you were here and the couch of a women's soccer team. Mind you, you have neglected to tell me this detail in the letters you write me!" The woman lightly slapped Joe on the arm while Jules and Jess' eyes made eye contact. Something was up, and they did not know what.

"Cassandra! I didn't know you were going to be here."

"You must not read my letters carefully then because I told you that I was getting transferred."

Joe looked confused. "You did?"

"Joe." Cassandra reprimanded softly, trying to look stern but failing miserably once she dissolved herself into laughs. Soon enough, Joe joined her.

"What it was a simply mistake." While the two continued to badger each other, Jules and Jess stayed outside of the private world wondering exactly what was happening. Just a few moments ago Joe was readying himself for a battle of wills against Jess and now here he was joking and laughing. This was simply beyond on their comprehension.

Cassandra embraced Joe in a hug and didn't let go, even after Joe did. Jess was seeing pink, red had yet to show up yet, but pink was slowly warming up to it. Jules politely cleared her throat, at least as politely as Jules could.

Joe turned around in a flash and Cassandra finally let go of Joe. Cassandra looked at Jules and Jess blankly. "Oh you two must be team members of this team, right?." Jules and Jess looked at each other before they both directed their twin _'we're-not-pleased-nor-amused' _stare at Joe.

"Uhh, Cassie, they are not quite. This is Jules, she was a former player and she is about to join again once she comes back from Santa Clara, in the US. She's a good friend of mine." He pointed at Jules before he grabbed Jess and wrapped an arm around her waist, basically putting her between Joe and the newly arrived Cassandra. "And this is Jess, she's also in the same predicament and Jules... and she's my girlfriend."

Realization spread across Cassandra's face. "Oh, well then. Sorry I guess I don't pay attention to Joe's letter's much either, I don't quite remember him writing to me about you." Cassandra's gaze was directed at Jess, who was starting to see dark pink, she knew red was bound to appear some time soon. "Anyway, I'm Cassandra Bennington–"

"She's a friend of mine." Joe butted in.

"And a former girlfriend, but we broke on a mutually agreement. We've been in touch since I left for Greece a few years back. It's nice to meet you." She stuck out one perfectly tanned and manicured hand.

Well, Jess thought in her mind without any jealous bone in her body of course, at least that explains the flawless tan. Jess firmly shook Cassandra's hand before she let go. "It's nice to meet you too."

After ten grueling minutes of listening to Cassandra and Joe catching up and telling stories about their highschool days, Jules and Jess figured the should go and coach Joe's team since he seemed a bit preoccupied. They had learned that Cassandra's family had lived next to Joe's since they were born and they had grown up with one another. They also found out they were sweethearts from the time Joe put a worm in her hair in sixth grade and she shoved him to ground and literally made him eat dirt. Cassandra had lived in Greece for the last six years of her twenty-five years, studying some type biogenetic in a laboratory, keeping in touch with Joe all those six years.. She had just been transferred back to England and she felt that she see one of her best friends right after she saw her family, and that was what brought her here.

Standing away from the still chatting Joe and Cassandra, Jules and Jess watched the faux soccer match. The blonde's mouth was curled downward at a slight angle, her eyes were cloudy and unfocused, and her eyebrows were furrowed. Jess knew that very patented Jules look, it was the look Jules had own whenever she was trying to hold her tongue even though she had something to say. Jess counted backwards from ten in her head, Jules would cave in at any moment now, she had no will power when it came to these things. _'... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1–'_.

"So... are you jealous?" Jules was never good with tact, she was a pretty blunt person when it came to down to her core personality._'And the five-hundred dollar goes to Jessminder Bhamra!' _Jess gloated in her mind, she could feel a large smile tugging at her lips and she tried as best as she could to keep it away from Jules prying eyes, but that sure didn't work. "What in the world is making you so happy right about now, shouldn't you be going into jealous fits of rage?" Jules looked at Jess in utter disbelief, it seemed like to Jess, that Jules could probably do the jealous fits of rage better than she ever could.

"No."

"WHAT!" Jules grabbed a hold of Jess' shoulder's and nearly shook then woman into oblivion.

Jess rolled her dark eyes. "Do I complain that much?" Jules immediately let go of Jess' shoulder and looked uncharacteristically quiet. "I am? Sorry then, but I'm not jealous. I mean Joe and I are together and they're not, plus they seem to be just good friends."

Jukes looked a bit abashed as she wrapped an arm around Jess' shoulder. "Sorry I ever doubted ya! Say you'll forgive me?"

Jess placed her arm on Jules' shoulder as best as she could from her angle. "Of course I will. But I am a bit jealous of her in other ways, I mean look at her she has to be at least a D cup!" Jess said jokingly, she turned to look at Cassandra before she brought her attention back to Jules. "I'm like a kindergartner to her. My poor Mara–" Jess looked down at her right breast. "– and Juana–" she looked down at her left breast. "– they could only dream of becoming that endowed."

Jules looked down at her chest with a somber look on her face. "Yea, same here. Poor Under and Ling." Jules and Jess looked at each other with solemn looks before snickers escaped their mouths. Those snickers were soon followed by laughs, that were followed by large guffaws. They were wiping the tears from their eyes as Joe, Cassandra, and Mel walked up to them.

"Are you okay?" Mel asked with concern engraved in her Vandyke brown eyes.

"No, no we're fine." Jules hyperventilated.

"Are you sure?" Joe now looked very concerned himself looking back at forth at the wheezing Jess and the hyperventilated Jules.

"Yes really, we're fine." Jess stood up straight and pushed back her loose strands of hair, Jules followed the suit.

"So then, Jess do you think Cassandra could join us and Jules for lunch?" Joe looked so hopeful, like a little boy right before Christmas, and unfortunately Jess didn't have the heart to pop the high flying balloon of happiness in the sky. Jules did, but Jess elbowed the woman in the stomach before she could say anything. "Sure, I don't see why not, do you Jules."

Jules gave Jess a sulky look, hoping Jess would change her mind once she say the pout and large puppy eyes, but Jess was immune and she thanked the three years of being best friends with her, every day, but is she were not best friends with her then she probably would not have to worry about the sulky look, but that was a topic for another day. Jess was beginning to think Jules was actually a five year old trapped in an adult woman's body, at least as adult as Jules could get when she was sugar high. "No."

"Okay, then it's settled." He smiled down at the already chip Cassandra before he directed his gaze at Mel. "Why are you not out there playing Captain Lewis?"

Mel tossed the soccer ball in her hand before she caught and started to play catch by herself, all the while giving Jules and Jess a look that neither of them particularly liked. It was the same face they had seen Mel put on in the locker room when she was giving the team a pep talk, it was the same face she put on when she was going against a competitor, it was the same face she used when she was about to take someone down just a few notches on the ego belt. Nope they did not like that look at all when it was directed towards them.

"Gee Coach Richards, you sound so professionally, but I suggest you use the I'm the ruler of all, obey me voice when others who might actually believe that you are the ruler of all are around, but for now Joe, Mel will do just fine." She winked brazenly at Joe before she looked at Jess and Jules. "But, we're on a break, remember those? Plus, I'm here to talk to Jules and Jess. Me and the few of the other girls–" She pointed to three girls on the now basically empty field. "– were just wondering if you two are daring enough to put your soccer cleats on and meet us out there for a three on three match. Hope Santa Clara did not make you two too soft."

Jess and Jules looked at one another, mirroring each other's look of disbelief.

"Oh, so you two are scared, guess I better tell the others how much of a chicken you two have grown into while in the States, eh?" She turned to look at the three waiting players on the field. "YO! FEA–"

Jess grabbed the soccer ball from Mel's grasp. "Did you just call us chicken?"

Mel turned to look at Jess nonchalantly. "So what if I did Bhamra, what are you going to do?"

A Jules-Jess look was exchanged. "We'll just have to teach you a few lessons, starting with the cardinal rule of Julinder Rules. Don't ever aggravate Jess or me. We can be real animals when it comes right down to it."

Mel waved a hand flippantly. "_Riiight._"

"Jessminder, she doesn't believe us!" Jules shouted at the calm Jess.

Jess shook her head silently. "I know Juliette, I know."

"She is disgracing the harmony of Julinder! We can't just let her get away with this." Jules was going hysterical.

Jess looked down at the ground and shook her head. "I know, I know."

"So what do you suggest?" Jules slapped Jess on the arm.

Jess stopped shaking her head and gave Jules a devilish smiles. "What all times and measures call for at moments like this. Julinder Edict 201." Jules joined Jess in the smiling.

"What's Julinder Edict 201?" Cassandra asked curiously.

Jess and Jules picked up their knapsacks from the ground and took out their cleats. "Absolute serious retribution on the part of the injured Julinder party, of two, against the party of offense. Only in defensive purposes, of course." Jess sighed out all at once.

"Huh?" Mel asked looking at the two maniacally smiling Jess and Jules.

"Some serious ass whooping done by us to you!" Jules and Jess song out in unison.

"We'll meet you on the field Lewis–" Jules started.

"–but don't forget after we finish you off nice and easy that you asked for it." Jess finished as Jules nodded next to her.

Mel eyed the two women as they took off their sneakers and put on their cleats. They both took off their shirts to reveal the sport bras underneath them, wiping off their jogging pants "So you two came prepared?" Jules nodded solemnly "Yea, we were hoping to do some ass whooping today, weren't we Jessminder?"

Jess nodded her head quickly. "Yes but of course Juliette, after all–"

Jules and Jess gave Mel identical smiles at the same time "–a good ass whooping always seems to make the days brighter!" they finished happily, perfectly in sync.

"If that's what you want to believe, be my guess. Feather is your goalie. Anise and Rose are on my team."

Jules and Jess were an unstoppable combo. Head-butts, hitch kicks, jump kicks, reverse passes, you name they did, and the best was that neither of them had to look to see were the other was on the field, they just automatically kicked the ball somewhere and the other would appear and volley the ball somewhere else. Of course Mel, Rose, and Anise did everything in their power to stop, and did a good too. The finally score was six to four. Both sides celebrating in between each goal, but the crowd favorite seemed to be Jess' and Jules' daytime drama soap opera parody.

After one goal Jess play fainted to the ground screaming,

"Reina! Reina!"

Jules zigzagged around the field in a run until she got to Jess. "My love, my cherished, what shall I ever do without you Michael." She knelt down and held Jess' hand. Surprising Jess _'slapped' _Jules.

"You lying slut, I know you've been sleeping with Irvin, George, Daniel, Matt, Vincent, Victor, Alex–" Jess shouted ticking each name off of her fingers.

"But I love you Vin– I mean Michael!"

"No you don't, you just love my money!"

"Well actually I do."

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REVIEW TIME!...Dun dun dun da dun dun da dun da (I figured it earned itself a bit of theme music, don't you?)

P.S.S.: Look below...

_ Weaslypotter_: Yea, I noticed that BiLB was nominated but I didn't get to stick around long, since certain family members whose names I shall not mention *cough* annoying mother and sister *cough* love to hog my tv! Thankiez for the compliment.

_Organized-chaos: _I will get to Mrs. Shaheen Bhamra later, such as the next chapter. Me great, never... okay maybe just this time... and the next...

_Charlie: _Well, you wait no longer? You'll just have to another week or so for the next chapter... hehehe (^-^);

_Perfectme100: _Hey thanks! Well as I said above to Charlie... you wait no longer?

Loreta: DUDE! Don't mind the comment before it was just a random word that came to my head... thanks for the review and help...

_Jenn: _I love Megan too! A creation of the combination of the roguish adorable girls on tv... and my cousins, cousins. No worries Megan shall appear in later chapters! *joins in crazy happy dance*.

_Aishiteru Duo_: Thanks, BiLB is a great movie isn't it? Inspiring, funny, amusing, wonderful *Pixy drones on with a multitude of comments*

___Chanandlerbong_: Thanks. You'll have to thank my muses, Destruction and Chaos, for telling me to put Tony in the story and for basically setting my mother's house on fire *grins devilishly* I told my mother I was a pyromaniac, but does she believe me? NO!

_Daemon X_: Thanks for taking the time to review for the lacking to update too often me.

_Jyorraku:_No, no, no, thank you.

_Chrisfaithalin_: The best! Oh pish posh, I feel honored. Now I can go around sporting my ego inflated head to school. Thanks!

_Going2marryrupert_: Thanks for the review and the correction, but now there is one question plaguing my mind. Are you going to marry Rupert? Or have you already married Rupert?

P.S.S.S.: Santa Clara... aha, thank you Loreta and Going2marryRupert. I will correct that error... one these days... =(^-^)= I've also noticed a lot of my other spelling errors and I shall be going back to correct them, one of these days...

That's it for this chapter. Reviews? Praise? Critique? Praise the shiny button. The button is pretty upset, no one noticed it's new outfit or haircut... to say the least the button is not pleased.


	6. I Might Just Break

Disclaimer: Every once in a while, I run out of lines to use and I really don't exactly know what to say, these are not one of those time... I still don't own BiLB. Oh well, I guess the DVD will just have to do. And Mr. Rhys-Meyers, he would confirm this right now, but he is tied up right now in my basement... no worries he will get back to you later!

Author's Note: Okay, sorry all for the wait. Darn teachers of mine decide it is high time to pile Pixy with massive amounts of work, test, and essays! And to get my second ear pierce holes I have to pull a 92.5 average for the school year, and my average is at 86.75, Pixy is screwed! Well enjoy the story, I will update by Friday, and if you're lucky (and Pixy is not lazy), maybe tomorrow afternoon. Hope you like this chapter, and just to let everyone know, things are going to be a bit ruff for our young lovers.... sorry! 

Summary: Sometimes, off the field life isn't as easy as it should be, and during those trying times of the "heart" and "spirit", you wake up and realize something. You've just got to get over it and just bend it!

Just Bend It

Chapter Six: I Might Just Break

Lunch at Dunham's Café was a very quiet affair on Jules and Jess' part, meanwhile, Joe and Cassandra played a longer game of catch up. By the time Jess arrived home, she learned more about Joe's childhood from Cassandra's mouth than she had ever heard from Joe's.

Jess rushed into her house, ready to run up the staircase, but was stopped by Shaheen's shouting. "Jessminder, where do you think you're going? You have been out all day and then you come home and greet your family?"

Jess flashed her mother a bright, not to mention embarrassed, smile. "Sorry mom, I'm just a bit tired."

Jess moved to continue her journey to her room, but Shaheen would have none of that. "Really, what were you doing all day?"

"I was out with Jules, Joe, and Joe's old friend, Cassandra."

Shaheen raised one single eyebrow. "Cassandra...._hmmm._.. so is Joe involved with this Cassandra?"

"No, Mom." _'...But he is dating me....'_ It was too bad Jess did not have the courage to say this out loud, maybe she and Joe would not bump heads so much if she could.

"_Hmm... _he probably will be soon enough. _Hmph... _go upstairs and take a nap, but come down as soon as possible I will need your help cooking dinner." Shaheen turned around and headed off to the kitchen where Pinky sat filing her nails. Jess stood on the stairs, frozen in the same position with only one sentence repeating over and over in her mind.

_'...he probably will be soon enough__.' _And somewhere in the back of Jess' mind, in the deepest and darkest crevice, she was beginning to agree.

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Two days later, Jess ran down the same staircase, just like she had been doing for the last few days of her Spring Break, ready to jet out the door, except Shaheen was in her way this time.

"And where do you think you are going?"

"Well, I'm meeting Jules for breakfast."

"Really? And when were you going to tell me this?"

Jess smiled sheepishly at her mother. "When I met up with Jules."

Shaheen glared at her youngest daughter. "Fine go on, after all you've spent _so much _time with your family on your vacation!"

Jess kissed her mother on the cheek before she gave her a hug. "I promise, after I go out for breakfast and spend the day with Jules, and go out with Tony tomorrow night, I will be all yours."

"For the last seventy-two hours of your vacation, thank you Jessminder, you really know how to clear your time for family."

Jess smiled brightly at her mother's sarcasm before she kissed Shaheen and ran out the door, calling behind, "Bye, see you later."

Shaheen waved good-bye to the retreating form of Jess running down the street. "Well at least I know she won't be getting into trouble."

Jess ran six full blocks until she saw Joe's silver car parked underneath the shade of a tree, with Joe leaning on it with his arms crossed. 

Joe looked down a the watch on his wrist, then he looked up at Jess. "You're five minutes late, and your hair is a bit messy." He moved to touch her hair but she batted it away with her own hand.

Jess rolled her dark eyes skywards, fully knowing why Joe was acting like something was shoved up his ass. "Would you like to run down a few blocks at top speed with your hair in a loose ponytail and find out what exactly happens to your hair." Joe gave her no answer. "Thought not. So don't we have to pick up Jules, so that we can get to your parents house on time?"

Joe sighed, but nevertheless headed for the driver's side, while Jess entered the passenger side, both staying completely silent.

Jules had felt the extreme and undeniable tension between Joe and Jess as soon as she entered the car. She had tried to lighten the mood with silly jokes and stupid stories about her mother trying to play matchmaker, but neither part of the couple were willing to break their silence. Joe was pissed at Jess and Jess was pissed at Joe for being pissed at her. 

This was the ugly side to the beautiful relationship. Joe and Jess both were very stubborn and very bull-headed when it came to certain things, and these were one of those times. Their relationship only had one small bump in its way, a bump that could rival Mount Everest. The problem: Jess' unwillingness to tell her parents about her relationship with Joe. And when she and Joe fought, they really made each other mad.

After watching her pathetic attempts fail time after time, Jules decided it would be best if she just stayed quiet...and she did. The only sound that filled the car on the trip was the lull of the turned and ignored down radio.

Diana Richards greeted her son, her son's friend, and her son's girlfriend warmly, especially her son's girlfriend. She led them to the kitchen as if it were the first time they had ever set foot in the storybook-like house, instead of the millionth time. "Oh, Jules, it is so good to see you. I thought you were not going to visit this time!" Diana exclaimed as she bustled around the kitchen.

Jules sat down in a chair around the breakfast table, waving at Jonathon. "Never! I have to visit every time I come Mrs. R, I think would go mad without your good cooking."

Diana laughed, but kept on stirring the pout of potatoes in front of her.

Jess and Joe sat next to each other, both very silent and very somber, Jonathon took a look at both of them over the top of his opened newspaper. "So... who died?"

Jess and Joe stared at Jonathon, wondering what he meant.

Jonathon eyed them both closely. "Well somebody had to have died if you're both acting so grim... I hope you both know you're depressing. Don't have any big news to tell us, do you?"

Joe snorted but stayed quiet. It was Jess who spoke up. "No, we don't have any big news, we're both just a bit out it."

Joe glared angrily at his cup of orange juice. "And what has the orange juice ever done to you?" Cassandra said as she walked into the room, taking the vacant seat right next to Joe.

"Nothing."

Cassandra poured herself some orange juice. "Well, you sure are glaring at it as if it stabbed you in the back."

"Maybe it has."

Then there was silence.

Jules slyly took a glimpse out of the corner of her eye at the very disgruntled looking Jess.

Diana rushed to the table and rested a large bowl of home fries in the middle of the table, along with mini omelets. She did her routine of taking off her cricket ball decorated apron and hung it on a hook, but instead of taking the seat between her husband and son, because it was occupied by Cassandra, she pulled a chair from the side of the room, and took a seat between Jules and Jonathon.

"Hope you all don't mind, but I had to invite Cassandra, I haven't seen her in years." Diana said happily, as she grabbed her husband's newspaper out of his hand and threw it behind her.

Soon enough, everyone around the table was eating. Even Joe and Jess.

"So Jess, how will you be spending your last few days, here?" Jonathon asked, trying to start up a conversation around the table."

"Jules and I going to shop for some new gear today and tomorrow she, Joe, and I are going to this club with my friend."

"Really?" Cassandra asked.

"Yea, you could come if you would like." Jess extended the invitation, hoping somewhere in her mind the woman would say 'no.' But Lady Luck was either a) very mad at her b) ignoring her c)on a lunch break or d) all of the above, because Cassandra actually said 'yes'.

Jess smiled, then went right back to her breakfast.

Diana looked at her son and Jess with puzzlement, and not to mention curiosity, written all over her face. "Why are you two so grim?"

Jules eyed both Jess and Joe wearily, as if they were a slowly ticking time bomb.

"I've asked them that already, honey. Don't bother trying again. Joe won't answer and Jess isn't going to give you a real answer." 

Diana lightly slapped Jonathon's wrist. "Now really, what's wrong with you two. Is there anything you would like to say?"

Somehow, that became Joe's snapping point. "As a matter of fact, I do." He stood up from his chair.

Jules cringed and started to fill her mouth with as much food as she could find, she was even so desperate, that she ate some sliced up pears, even though she absolutely detested pears.

"I have to sneak around with my own damn girlfriend around her family, because she is not willing to tell them the truth! And quite frankly I'm sick of it. Every time she has said she was going to tell over these last three years, she has chickened out–"

"I'm sorry Joe, but I don't think my–"

"How would you know if they're ready if you haven't aske–"

Jess, now very angry, rose out her chair facing Joe."Because they are my parents!"

"You always use that as an excuse!"

"It's not an excuse, it's the truth!"

"I'M SICK OF LYING!"

"I KNOW!"

"Then why can't we just tell them?"

"I've already told– you know what, never mind." She turned to look at a very shocked Mr. and Mrs. Richards. "Thank-you for the breakfast, have a good day." Jess stormed off in the direction of the front door, with Joe hot on heels.

Jules swallowed the food in her mouth. "Welp, that was interesting."

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Joe drove Jess home, after they both cooled down about two notches. They took a long walk around the neighborhood before they could actually form sentences that did not involve either one of them yelling at the other. The car jerked to a stop as Joe pulled up to the spot he had been parked at hours before, six blocks away from Jess' house. There were no hugs are kisses, just two short good-byes and a slammed car door.

Jess stormed into the house, still upset at Joe for bringing up what was going on between them at his parent's house, in front of his parents. Of all people, it just had to be his parents.

"Jess, I thought mom said you were going to be out with Jules?" Pinky asked from the living room chair.

"I was, but now, I'm not."

Pinky finally saw the expression on her sister's face, and she knew what was going on. "So, you got into a fight with your goreh?"

Jess looked around the room crazily, searching for anyone that might have heard what Pinky had said. "Are you crazy? Do you want someone to find out I am going out with HIM?"

"Don't be so paranoid... plus everyone is out. Megana went with mom to the market, the house is empty besides you and me."

Jess plopped down in a chair. "It was horrible, we fought directly in front of his parents. I was so angry that II stomped off, leaving Jules their."

"That bad?"

"Yea, that bad. Joe doe not just seem to understand how mom and dad would react if they found out about us!"

Pinky shook her head sympathetically. "Men! All I can really say is that most of them really are a bunch of idiots."

Jess pinched the bridge her nose, warding off her oncoming headache. "I know, and I am dating the King of Idiots."

Pinky laughed lightly. "I won't debate with you on that!"

Jess only groaned and leaned back on the couch.

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Jess once more, ran down the stairs of her house, calling back a rushed 'good-bye' to her parents, she exited the house, running the six blocks to Joe's parked car. Tonight would be on of the last nights she would spend in England, and she hoped that it would be a fun and exciting meeting with her friends and her boyfriend.... even if he was acting like a jackass... and so was she...

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That's a wrap! This chapter was brought to you by the crazy mind that is Pixy and your local sponsors. Reviews? Praise? Critique? Praise Señorita Botón, she is waiting for your call... and so am I!

P.S.: REVIEW TIME!

_Daemon X: _Hope this chapter answered some of your inquiries =^_^=

_Chrisfaithalin:_ (Hope I spelt that right) Thanks a bunches, I love positive reviews.

_Pirate-Jazzy_: Here_ *shoves chapter six into Pirate-Jazzy's hands*_ there is no need to be so pushy_ *indignantly walks off with nose in the air*_ I mean, really!

_Arwen51: _I hope your still around, wouldn't want to cause anyone's death... unless it was the person who invented Geometry, then I might reconsider my position on that.

_Organized-chaos: _I love Julinder too! YEA!

_Charlie_: Cassandra, her _*Pixy looks at her creation* _she's harmless _*Pixy smile like the Cheshire Cat*_.

_Ears91: _Thank-you, don't worry about Cassandra, really she is harmless _*Pixy's smile seems to impossibly widen*_.


	7. Damaged

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own BiLB, if I did I would have more than thirteen cents in my pockets!

Author's Note: Surprise.. Here's my treat. A new chapter, weeks ahead of schedule! Enjoy. 

Summary: Sometimes, off the field life isn't as easy as it should be, and during those trying times of the "heart" and "spirit", you wake up and realize something. You've just got to get over it and just bend it!

Just Bend It

Chapter Seven: Damaged

Jess, Jules, Joe, and Cassandra stood outside of a rather gaudy looking club, with Indian music pumping on the inside, neon lights flashing on the inside, and them standing outside, waiting for two certain Indians to show up.

Jess stood closer to Jules than Joe, hoping somehow to avoid an argument with him. She did not want to leave mad at him and him mad at her, they did that before and it took a good month before either of them were fully cooled off and when she came back to England they both buried the subject. 

Cassandra's blue eyes looked at Joe full of concern. "Sure it's hard but Joe, you know you should talk to her later, when you're dropping her off."

Joe snorted. "Yea, six blocks from her house."

"See, and that is why she gets so upset at you. You're such a prick at times, calm down and be rational."

"I know, I know... I'll talk to her when I drop her off." Joe's silver gaze shifted from Cassandra's face to where Jess stood next Jules, smiling... something that she had not done around him for a good week or so.

"This Ameet guy and Tony had better show up soon Jess," Jules said, crossing her arms over her chest. "As much as I want to meet this guy, doesn't exactly mean I want to spend one of my nights standing outside of a club! If they don't show up in five minutes I am going to call a taxi and go home!"

Jess rolled her eyes in disbelief. "You? Go home? Really, this will be the first time I will see Juliette Evelyn Paxton, go home when she could go to a club. Alert the media!"

Jules lifted her nose into the air indignantly. "Hmph, I have done that before!"

"Yea, when the club was shut down by the police."

"There have been other times!"

"_Riiight_–" Jess opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when she felt an arm slip around her waist. Jess followed the black shirt clad arm to a shoulder, the shoulder to a neck, and the neck to the face of none other than a devilishly smiling Ameet. "Hello, glad to see you could finally show up."

Ameet's smile only got wider. "Hullo to you too, you ray of sunshiny-ness. And blame Tony, he had to make sure his tank was full. I was quite alright and ready." He gave Jess' waist a small squeeze before he released it, he turned to look at Tony, who let out a soft sigh. "You owe me lunch, I told you that our dear nightmare would wear a shirt, and a short one at that!"

"Jules stuffed me into this."

Ameet shrugged his shoulder. "It doesn't matter to me how you ended up in this lovely, short leather skirt, that may I say, you look like a dominatrix, I still won. Therefore I get a free lunch at Riena's."

Tony eyes became large as he looked at Ameet. "Riena's! Do you know how much it just cost for a piece of bread there?"

"What, the winner gets to pick the place and I pick Riena's. What are you a cheapskate or something? Because this won't work out if you don't start buying things for me, like diamonds, gold earrings, rings..."

"Don't push your luck."

Ameet, being the mature person he was, stuck his tongue out at Tony. "So Jess, are you going to introduce me to everyone or do I somehow have to grow psychic powers?"

Jess laughed, it seems that Ameet only got more outrageous with time. She pointed Jules. "This is Juliette, call her Jules." 

Ameet walked over to Jules, who stuck out her hand to shake his, but instead of shaking it, Ameet kissed the back of her hand. "Enchanté. I've read so much about you."

Jules made eye contact with Jess, with the question_ 'Is this guy for real?' _dancing in her blue eyes and Jess just simply nodded 'yes'. "Ditto."

Jess pulled Ameet away from Jules by his collar and pushed him in front of Cassandra and Joe." This is Joe and Cassandra, Joe's friend."

Ameet waved to them both, not going to kiss Cassandra's hand because Jess held onto his ponytail and there was no way he was going to sacrifice his hair for a little fun... now if it were some big fun, he would have to reconsider or at least think about it. "Hello to you both. Although I've never read about you Cassandra, it's nice to meet you." Ameet's eyes flashed to look at Joe. "Now you, I've read a lot about." Ameet did not elaborate, he began to walk to the bouncer of the club, a friend of his, to get them in for free.

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The music was so loud it was deafening, Jess thought as she sat down at the table swirling her drink, she forgot what the quiet actually sounded like. Jules had been dragged to the dance floor by Ameet and Tony was at the bar getting some drinks. The only people at the table were Cassandra and Joe, and they were too busy trying to talk over the loud music, to actually talk to her.

Jess studied Joe's and Cassandra's body language, they did not seem awkward with each other, they looked as if they were perfectly at home with each other. 

_'I bet her parents wouldn't go crazy if they found out they were dating... but I'm sure her parents are not Indian...'_

Jess frowned. Joe and Cassandra moved in synchronized movements, laughed at the same time, even smiled at the same time.

_'I'm sure they most have been the golden couple in highschool... hmph...'_

Jess stopped swirling her drink, very shocked at herself... was she jealous of Cassandra? Or was she jealous of Joe's and Cassandra's freedom in their lives? She sneaked a glance at the two, laughing at who knows what, probably one of Joe's weird jokes, and Jess decided it was definitely both.

Cassandra was pretty, tall, pretty, intelligent, had breast, and did she forget pretty. She was a good match for Joe. Then there was the fact that they could probably go off to Tibet with each other, knowing their parents would not brand them the black sheep of their families.

_'This absolutely sucks... I need to get back to California, where I can breathe and think.'_

"Hey!" Jules shouted as she sat next to Jess. "You should be out on the dance floor, having a good time, and enjoying your last days of freedom from Santa Clara!"

Ameet leaned over Jules shoulder nodding his head in agreement. "Yea, she's right my dear Lady Nightmare." He looked around the table for a moment. "Where's Tony?" He shook his head then chuckled. "Never mind, he's probably getting the drinks... I knew that this would be more entertaining than going to Riena's, he has to buy drinks all night and be my designated driver." He smiled down at Jess. "Remind me in a half an hour to drink myself to absolute drunkenness oblivion?" 

"Sure, no problem." Now Jess knew that Ameet was more than off the chart, he was a lunatic, a funny lunatic, but a lunatic nonetheless.

"Good, now dance with me." Without waiting for any type of reply, Ameet pulled Jess from her seat and dragged her to the dance floor with Jules waving good-bye, Cassandra laughing, and Joe glowering.

Ameet wrapped his arms around her waist, with her back facing him. He bent his head down and whispered in her ear, "Don't be so glum Lady Nightmare, relax. Your Irishman won't find out about our four day affair, I promise... as long as he doesn't find those photos... or the video... or the DVD... And I'll have to burn those bed sheets..."

Jess laughed and relax as Ameet pulled her closer, with Joe watching from the table the whole time, a darkened frown marring his face.

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"Bye Jules!" Jess said waving to her friend as she entered her house, Jules waved back then disappeared behind her door.

Joe took off without a word, just as silent as he had been since they left the club. Jess openly stared at his profile. His mouth was hard set and thin, his eyes were small slits of silver, his shoulders were tense, and his hands griped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were white; these were all signs that Joe was extremely annoyed.

Jess sighed, she could only wonder why is was upset now. "What's wrong Joe?"

Joe grinded his teeth against each other but stayed silent.

Jess tried once more. "What's wrong Joe?"

Joe was still silent, and Jess figured it was best she gave up while she was ahead.

The car was silent.

Then Joe opened his mouth. "You looked a bit too comfortable with Ameet out there on the dance floor."

Jess groaned. "What are you jealous of Ameet, he's only a friend." Okay, Jess knew she was being a hypocrite, but that did not mean Joe needed to know she was being a hypocrite.

"No!"

"Then what is wrong?"

"I just didn't like how you two were dancing out there."

"Joe, it was really nothing."

"Well it did not seem like it to me." There was a stress on the word 'me' and Jess knew Joe was annoyed.

"Well it was."

"I'm sure you would rather have him as a boyfriend, because I'm sure wouldn't mind go telling your parents about him.

Now Jess was starting to get annoyed. "No, plus, he would never be interested in me like that."

"Uh-huh and I'm supposed to believe this because?"

"Because."

"That did not answer my question."

"I can't tell you."

"So there really isn't a reason is there?"

"Yes, there is."

"Then tell me."

"I can't."

"Yes you can."

"No I can't."

"Yes you can!"

"No I can't!"

"YES, you can !"

"FINE! AMEET IS GAY AND HE IS GOING OUT WITH TONY, WHO'S GAY! ARE YOU HAPPY?"

"Oh." Joe was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry, I don't know what got into me."

Jess shrugged off the apology.

"Aren't you going to say something?" Joe asked Jess.

"No."

Joe sighed. "Why is that we get into so many arguments now?"

Jess shrugged, then leaned back into the plump car chair. "Don't know."

"Are you going to give me one are two worded answers from now on?"

"Maybe."

Joe did not say anything afterwards. It wasn't until Jess saw that Joe missed the turn for her house (at least the spot where he dropped her off so she could go to her house), that she actually spoke up. "You missed my turn!"

"I know, we're going to my house."

Jess looked at Joe with wide eyes, leaning forward slightly. "But–"

"We really need to talk and you know this."

All Jess could do was lean back into the chair, crossing her arms like a disobedient small child about to get reprimanded. "Fine." 

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Jess stormed into Joe's apartment. "What is it? My parents are expecting me home soon." She plopped herself on one of his couches.

Joe entered the apartment and closed the door behind him. "That's exactly what I'm talking about, the sneaking around."

The Indian woman rested her head in hands, covering her face. "Not now please, another day."

"What, you know I'm right."

Jess glared at Joe. "What do you think it's going to be that easy to tell my parents about us, or are you delusional?"

"It's better to try and not succeed than not to try at all."

"Joe, I can't argue with you tonight, just please take me home. I really want to end my vacation on a good note."

"Oh, so you rather ignore the problem than address, really mature."

Jess never felt like slapping Joe before, but right now the temptation was great. "Look be snide as you want, but you're going to have to do that by yourself. I'm going home." Jess got up from the couch and headed for the door, but she was stopped by a certain person's hand on her wrist. "Let go."

Joe looked Jess right in the eye, gray eyes calm as ever... it was too bad Jess was not calm. "Not until we solve this problem."

"Look I need to go home, I'm annoyed and very angry, so how about you let go before I get even madder?"

"No."

Jess gently tried to pull her hand away but Joe pulled her closer to him. "Joe, off."

"No Jess." Jess ripped her hand out of his grip and opened his door. "Are you saying that you're to tired to deal with our relationship... you're just giving up?"

Jess paused in mid-stride."Don't go putting words in my mouth!"

"I don't need to, that's what you're acting like!"

"You know what, I can't deal with this right now. Good bye!" Jess exited the door, slamming the door hard behind her, making sure that some of the books on his bookcase would fall.

Joe kicked his couch before he threw himself into the chair. "Shit."

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Jess payed the cab driver then snuck into her house and into her room . Luckily parent's already went to bed, not needing to worry about Jess, after all she was with Tony and Jules. It was a good thing too, her clothing would not exactly please them.. Jess could just hear her mother saying the You-Are-Turning-Into-Imani-You-Should-Stop-Talking-To-Her Speech, it was just as tiring as the Jess-You-Had-Better-Hurry-Up-And-Get-Married-Soon Speech-Rant and the When-Are-You-Going-To-Find-A-Nice-Indian-Boy-And-Settle-Down (although the speeches were basically the exact same thing).

Jess sprawled herself across the bed, still wearing the clothes she wore to the club... most of which were Jules.

_'I really need to speak with Imani.' _Jess glanced at her alarm clock. It was three o'clock in England, meaning it was around eleven o'clock in California... meaning Imani was at work.

Jess rolled over in her bed to grab her phone and dial the digits for Imani's work number.

"Imani Harper, how may I help you."

"Hey Imani, it's me."

"Hi Jess, is there something wrong?" Imani's voice lost it tight professionalism.

Jess laid her head in her pillow. "Yea there is..." 

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The skies were gray. Lightening and thunder flashed and roared in the distance. Rain poured from the sky like an never ending river... and Jess sat inside her house wearing her coat, holding an umbrella in her hand, looking out to the dark skies.

'This can't be a good sign... but Imani said I should follow my heart... and my heart says that I have to do this...'

"Jessminder?"

"Yes mom, are you going out to meet up with a friend again. I thought you said that you–"

"No worries mom, I just have to drop something off to someone, then I'm all yours."

Shaheen rolled her dark eyes. "Riiight, just be sure to get home before midnight." Shaheen walked away to watch her day time soaps, leaving Jess to stare out the window.

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Her umbrella did not work. Jess was soaked through to her bones and to make matters worse was that her hair was going to need to be washed and dried again... meaning she would have to deal with horrible and evil knots.

Sighing heavily, Jess knocked on the apartment door. 

No one answered. 

Jess knocked again.

No one answered.

'I guess I'll just have to talk to him over the phone.' Before Jess could walk away, Joe opened his door, clad only in black boxers. 

Joe looked a bit surprised at Jess standing at his door, but made way for her enter nonetheless. "Hey, Jess, come in." Jess walked solemnly into the apartment. "You're drenched, would you like something to warm you up."

Jess shook her head 'no'. "No, I'm not staying long."

Now Joe was confused. "What's going on?"

"Joe..." Jess paused, taking a deep breath to calm herself down, and calm her frazzled nerves... it did not work, but she continued. "You know I care for you, and I know you care for me. We've been through a whole lot during these three years and you've been nothing but wonderful to me..."

"But?" Jess looked at Joe shocked. "That's the way this speech is going isn't it?"

Jess took another deep breath. "But I think we need a break, maybe to see other people or something. Joe you deserve some one who you can take anywhere without worrying you and her will be spotted and you'll get into trouble." Jess hugged Joe around his waist, wet clothes and all, but Joe stood stiffly not bothering to return the hug.

"So you're breaking up with me?"

Jess looked up at Joe. "I guess."

Joe unwrapped Jess' arms from his waist. "Good-bye." Jess nodded and turned around to leave. "Wait." Jess was turned around by Joe and, just like many times before, Joe planted a kiss on her mouth. Short and sweet, nothing attached to it. "Now, good-bye."

Jess turned and left the apartment, closing the door softly behind, unlike how she slammed just a few hours before.

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Jess ran in the rain crying, not caring that she had no umbrella shielding her head.

She pounded on the door of a small house, it was two blocks from her house, but it was not her house. Pinky opened the door very agitated by the pounding. "WHAT–" Pinky caught a look at the puffy red eyed Jess, wet clothes sticking to her body, and pink nose. "What's wrong Jess?"

"Jess threw herself into Pinky's arms sobbing. "I– I br-broke up wit–with J-Joe."

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Hehehe... Okay go ahead and flame me, I have my flame thrower suit just waiting. I dare you go ahead!

_Christfaithalin: _Here's the rest of what that chapter was supposed to be!

_Ears91_: Opps...too late.

_Laura_: Me give up...never!


	8. There’s A Time For Everything

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own it. But I do own an adorable soccer ball plushie!=( - )=

Author's Note: Surprise... I'm baack with a new chapter and a new name! Wow, four months have past... but I have my reasons, look on my profile (it has been a long and horrific four months, for poor lil ol' me). It's going to be a bit complicated to talk about myself in the third person... or will it... Cipher does not know these things very well.

Summary: Sometimes, off the field life isn't as easy as it should be, and during those trying times of the "heart" and "spirit", you wake up and realize something. You've just got to get over it and just bend it!

Just Bend It

Chapter Eight: There's A Time For Everything

Pinky, although she did not seem it, was a patient person. It probably came with time, not to mention child birth and child rearing. Pinky dragged Jess out from the pouring rain and into her house, not caring that her sister was ruining her favorite pink apron. After Jess stopped crying she put her sister on the couch before she went to the kitchen and called her mother. She told her that Jess was over and they were having some sisterly bonding time, and of course Shaheen Bhamra bought the excuse right away.

Then Pinky went and put Megana in front of the t.v. in the family room, putting the t.v. on her daughter's favorite cartoon. And just to make sure that the child would be distracted for a long time, Pinky set her daughter's afternoon snack down on a table in the family room with Megana's favorites; carrots, chocolate chip cookies, and milk.

When she walked back into the foyer, she saw Jess sitting in the same place, in the same exact position she left her in. Pinky ushered her to the master bedroom and gave her some dry and loose clothes to wear. After putting Jess' wet clothes in the dryer, Pinky brought Jess the same afternoon snack she gave to her daughter. Once Jess began to eat slowly, Pinky finally spoke two words. "Now, spill."

And spill, Jess did.

Jess told her everything, from the small fights that began after her first year at Santa Clara to the fight that they had in front of his parents to the break up that just happened.

After Jess finished talking, Pinky sat with her hands her lap, quietly observing her sister as she munched on a cookie. "Well this was a surprising, but fitting end."

Jess looked up from her cookie, very shocked. "A surprising, but fitting end?"

Pinky shrugged her shoulders carelessly. "I did not think the goreh was all that bad, in fact he was beginning to grow on my. But with all the conflicts between you two plus the added stress of mom, soccer, an old friend who used to be a girlfriend, and let's not forget you not being able to outright tell mom and dad what's going on, you two were bound to break up." Pinky sighed softly. "And I'm not saying that it's not a good thing or a bad thing."

"Not a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Y'know I'm beginning to feel as if there's an echo in the room. Yes, I'm saying it's not a good thing or a bad thing. Look Jess, you know I've been supportive of this whole thing, even if I did use it to tease you, but look at the stress this is causing you, it must be causing him that much stress, too. And let's not forget that while you're here all you ever seem to do is go see Joe and you forget about your family. You barely spend anytime with mom, me, Megana, Teetu, or dad. And we both know that mom would have a fit if she ever found out, she might even try to disown you.

"I thought Joe was an okay guy for you to date, but is he the guy that you can marry?" Pinky paused. "Although I must say, I'm sure your children would've been absolutely adorable if they had his color eyes and your hair."

Pinky's flippant comment made Jess laugh and Pinky smiled, glad to hear Jess laugh. "Just think about what I've said, alright Jess."

Jess was silent.

"_Alright_ _Jess." _

"Alright."

The phone rang and Pinky got up to answer it. "I hope you have an empty stomach because I'm making potato lasan kari with masala bhath for dinner and I've got mango ice cream for dessert."

As soon as Pinky disappeared into the kitchen Jess fell back into the couch._ 'A domestic Pinky, who would've thought I'd ever live to see the day....'_

For the last few days of her vacation Jess spent more time with her family and less time with her friends. She helped her mother and sister in the kitchen, sometimes even falling into the viscous gossiping circle that they formed. She helped her father with the law, she gave Megana a few pointers on how to handle the soccer better, even taking her niece to the park once in a while and playing a few "matches" against her, in which Jess would always lose terribly. She even talked to Teetu more than she ever had in the last three years, learning that he was quite a soccer fan and loved that Megana loved playing soccer. She sometimes talked to Jules over the phone and had a few visits from Tony and Ameet, who always made her laugh really hard.

Whenever Joe came over to play cricket with her father, Teetu, and few more guys on the block, Jess avoided eye contact with, she avoided body contact with him, avoided being in the room with him alone, and if it was possible she avoided being in a one mile radius of him. Even when all the men called for her to come and investigate why Joe looked so upset... they usually poked at him until they were bored and shrugged off his brooding and downcast demeanor as woman troubles.

Joe pretended not to notice, every once in a while he would catch Jess' eyes and she could see that there was something he had to say to her. So when Jess saw that, she usually realized that she had an errand to run. Once in a while they would end up in a room alone and Joe would try to talk to her. And every time Pinky's words would pop into her head... _'Joe was an okay guy for you to date, but is he the guy that you can marry?__'... _and she would always run out of the room to go looking for some misplaced item.

Jules laid across Jess' bed as the Indian woman packed her belongings. They would be leaving for Santa Clara in the morning, for the last time. After coming back in the summer, they would both be taking their credits to a local college and playing for the Harriers. This off course would mean that they would have to leave their glorious job at 'Soccer Mom' at which they would receive discounted gear. But, if Van Gogh could sacrifice part of his ear then they could sacrifice almost dirt cheap gear... after they bought as much stuff they could buy before they went back to England.

Jules sighed for the sixth time in less than a minute.

Jess stopped packing her suitcase to look at her friend, who was conveniently drawing patterns on her bed with her finger. "Yes Jules."

Jules met Jess' eyes with the most innocent expression ever seen by mankind (unless you've seen the eyes on a puppy that wants you to take it home), at least it would have, if Jess had not been exposed to it whenever Jules wanted a favor, got in trouble, needed help, wanted to copy her homework, broke something... or anything to that effect. "I've said nothing."

Jess shrugged her shoulders and went back to packing, until she heard another sigh. She turned around to see Jules staring at her with puppy eyes. "Jules, what is it?"

Jules sat up on Jess' bed and tucked her feet underneath her. "It's just that I've been talking to Joe these past few days and he's all torn up–"

Jess groaned. "Look Jules, but he and I are just not possible. I've been through this with Ameet and Tony, do I have to go through this with you?"

Jules sighed. "No... but I'm just wondering why you gave up?"

_'Joe was an okay guy for you to date, but is he the guy that you can marry?__' _Pinky's words echoed in Jess' head as she looked at Jules. When Pinky told her to think about what she said, Pinky had no idea how much Jess would think about it. It was almost as if Pinky's words had a subliminal message that made those words echo over and over in her head, like a tape stuck on repeat.

Jess rolled her eyes. "I'm not giving up, I'm acting reasonably."

And that was all that was said about Joe.

Mrs. Paxton was in tears as she tightly hugged both Jess and Jules good-bye.

Mr. Paxton carefully pulled his wife off their daughter and her best friend. "Honey, you'll be seeing again in just a few months."

Mrs. Paxton dabbed her eyes with a yellow and purple handkerchief that matched her outfit. "I know, but you know how bad I am with goodbyes." With that Mrs. Paxton broke down into more sobs with a plentiful amount of tears and mumbled incoherent words, if you could count them as words.

Jess and Jules waved to Jules' parents as they walked to a woman who would take their flight tickets. The were about to reach the woman when they heard a familiar voice calling out Jess' name.

It was Joe.

Jess turned around to see brown haired man running towards her. She took a deep breath and waited.

Joe stopped running once he was standing in front of Jess. "I can't let you go back to America like this."

"But you do. We can't function as a couple. We're too different, we come from two different backgrounds. It can't work, but then again, it never was supposed to."

Joe cupped her cheeks in one of his hands, looking into her eyes for something. "So this it. Nothing more."

Jess nodded her head 'yes'.

Joe moved to kiss, but Jess would not allow it. She stepped away from him and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, throwing a small smile at Joe. She turned around and began to walk towards the woman, Jules waved to Joe before she followed Jess' lead and they both boarded the plane that would take them back to California.

Taking Jules back to her favorite boy toy and taking Jess' back to some rest and some non-Joe filled thoughts.

PS: Thank you chrisfaithalin ears9, clovergrl,organized-chaos, HAA, Sarinx, What's Their Name, Trojan-Soldier, Charlie, AngelBaby, SuckerForGrint06, swordsrock, kaitie, sunni07,Vero, Mercurian Orchid, iss, hotbabe221, Anonymous, and MuzE for the kind reviews, interesting threats, the compliments (especially when you called Cipher evil!), the pleadings, and for over all making Cipher feeling very happy. If I left your name out, plese don't maim me, I'm very fragile.

PPS: Right now it's about 11:48 pm and I'm a bit worn out, I had to babysit my 9 month old nephew who is teething, therefore very, very cranky. But I promised you a new chapter for Thursday, therefore I must deliver... and here it is. Expect to hear from me in one to two weeks. Please excuse my errors, I can never find them when I edit it myself. Just give me a few weeks and I'll correct them once I find them.

That's it for this chapter. Reviews? Praise? Critique? Praise the shiny button on the bottom, it likes being clicked.


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